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MICHAEL S EVIL DEEDS 







” He reminds me of those impossible characters one 
reads about in magazines, who detect crime for 
the pleasure of it.” frontispiece. See page 40. 







MICHAEL’S 
EVIL DEEDS 

BY 

E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM 

#* 

WITH FRONTISPIECE BY 

W. B. KING 


NON’REFERT 



pqIMVAP • Q3S 


BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 

1923 











P/3 

t 


Copyright, 1921, 1922, 1923, 

By Little, Brown, and Company. 

All rights reserved 
Published November, 1923 



Printed in the United States of America 



CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I. 

The Undiscovered Murderer 

• • 



PAGE 

1 

II. 

The Kiss of Judas 

• 

• • 



26 

III. 

The Menwood Road Bank 

Robbery 



53 

IV. 

The Honour of Monsieur Lutarde 



80 

V. 

The Three Malefactors 

• 




114 

VI. 

The Winds of Death 

• 




139 

VII. 

Seven Boxes of Gold 

• 




165 

VIII. 

The Unfamiliar Triangle 

• 




191 

IX. 

Michael’s Wedding Gift 

• 




225 

X. 

The Mystery Advertisement 




253 

XI. 

The Great Elusion . 

• 

• • 



279 







MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


CHAPTER I 

THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 

MICHAEL 

The duel — or shall I call it, perhaps, vendetta — 
between Norman Greyes and myself — known under 
many aliases but christened Michael Sayers — com¬ 
menced on the morning of the third of November, 
some years ago, when I left my suburban home at 
Brixton to catch my usual train to the city, and found 
myself confronted upon the pavement with the imme¬ 
diate chances of life or death. 

I will admit that I was taken by surprise. Every 
man at Scotland Yard was known to me by name and 
reputation, and I was perfectly convinced in my own 
mind that there was no one in that much abused but, 
from our point of view, admirable institution, capable 
of penetrating the secrets of my daily life and dis¬ 
covering in me, the reputed Thomas Pugsley, leather 
agent of St. Thomas’ Street, Bermondsey, and Number 
138, Woollerton Road, Brixton, the most accomplished 
and daring criminal of modern times. I knew at once, 


2 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

when I saw the police sergeant, with his two plain¬ 
clothes companions, crossing the road towards me, that 
some one else was taking a hand in the game. Even 
at that moment, when I had little time for observation, 
I saw the well-remembered figure of a man emerge from 
behind the curtains of Number 133, opposite, and it 
took me exactly ten seconds to realise that henceforth, 
after I had escaped from this present dilemma, I 
should have to move my pieces with greater circum¬ 
spection across the chessboard of life. I recognised 
him the instant he appeared before the window. There 
were a few streaks of grey in his black hair, but his 
keen, grey eyes, his forceful mouth, his long, lean face 
were all unchanged. He was the one man in the old 
days whom we had all feared, the man whose retire¬ 
ment from the Force we had celebrated with a small but 
very select little dinner at the Cafe Royal. My old 
hatred of him blazed up as I realised the voluntary 
nature of his return to the career which he had aban¬ 
doned. I made up my mind then that if ever the time 
came when I should be the arbiter of his fate, this man 
should have no quarter. 

The street was a short one, and within fifty yards of 
a bustling thoroughfare. Nevertheless, at that early 
hour there were not many people about, and, as it after¬ 
wards transpired, witnesses of the spirited few seconds 
which followed were almost non-existent. It has al¬ 
ways been my principle that the best form of defence is 
prompt attack. Whilst the inspector, therefore, stood 
with his mouth open ready to inform me that he held a 
warrant for my arrest, I shot him through the right 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 


3 


shoulder blade. He staggered and would have fallen 
but for his two companions. Before they had propped 
him up against the railings and recovered from their 
surprise, I was round the corner of the street and in 
an empty telephone booth in the adjacent post-office. 

I have always maintained that the Telephone Com¬ 
pany is an unjustly abused institution. On this occa¬ 
sion, at any rate, my defence of them was justified. 
Within thirty seconds of asking for Number 1000 
Hop, I was speaking to the warehouseman whose duty 
it was to dust and keep in good order my samples of 
leather, which, to tell the truth, were rarely used. My 
few rapid words of instruction spoken, I turned my 
attention to those ingenious devices which, although 
savouring a little of the trickster, have on more than 
one occasion assisted me in preserving my liberty. I 
turned my overcoat, which, in place of a sober black 
garment, now became a covering of light grey tweed 
with a belt behind. I rolled by trousers up to the knee, 
disclosing very well cut brown leather gaiters. I left 
my black bowler hat in the telephone box, replacing it 
with a tweed cap; removed with a little pang of regret 
the most wonderful dark moustache which the hand of 
artist had ever fashioned, adjusted a pair of spectacles, 
and made my exit. 

There was some commotion in the street outside, and 
the freckled young lady behind the counter paid scant 
attention to me. 

“ The telephone service doesn’t get any better, ” I 
said pleasantly. “ It’s taken me nearly ten minutes to 
get two numbers. ” 


f 


4 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


She accepted my complaint with equanimity. Her 
attention was still on the street outside. 

“ What is it? A fire ” I asked. 

She shook her head. 

“ I don’t know, ” she answered. 66 Did you pay for 
both your calls ? ” 

I assured her that I had done so and made my way 
into the street. There was a little crowd in Woollerton 
Road, and a motor ambulance came dashing by. I 
strolled along the broad thoroughfare until I came to 
a taxicab. I hailed the man and hesitated for a 
moment, glancing up at the sky. 

“ Is it going to keep fine? ” I asked the driver. 

He considered the point for a moment. 

“ Don’t fancy there’s much more rain about, guv’- 
nor, ” he replied. 

“ Then drive to Streatham Hill Station, ” I directed. 

From Streatham Hill I travelled to London Bridge 
by the electric railway, and from London Bridge I 
took a taxi to Waterloo. From Waterloo I caught 
the ten-forty train to Brookwood, and from the hotel 
there, where I paused for some slight refreshments, I 
engaged a taxicab to drive me to “ Linkside,” the 
country retreat of a certain Mr. James Stanfield, situ¬ 
ated on the fringe of Woking Golf Links. William, my 
man-of-all-work, was digging in the garden, and wel¬ 
comed me with the bucolic indifference of his class. 
Janet, his niece, admitted me promptly to the house and 
received my unexpected visit with that respectful lack 
of curiosity, which was a heritage of her earlier train¬ 
ing as parlourmaid. She lit the fire in the little sitting 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 5 

room, and listened to my few remarks with impertur¬ 
bable pleasantness. Yet on that morning, perhaps 
more than any other in my life, I felt a shadow of 
uneasiness concerning Janet. I watched her in silence, 
stooping over the fire, a young woman with a figure 
whose perfection her ill-fitting corsets and clothes 
failed altogether to conceal, pale of complexion, with 
introspective, queer-coloured eyes, close-lipped, and 
with a mass of well-brushed, glossy brown hair. When 
she stood up, a little flushed with her exertions, she 
faced me for a moment, waiting for orders. I am not 
a susceptible man, but it struck me for the first time 
that the girl was more than ordinarily good-looking. 

44 Nothing has happened during my absence, Janet? ” 
I enquired. 

44 Nothing at all, sir, ” she replied. 

44 Nobody called? ” 

66 There was a rate-collector, ” she said. 44 He 
wanted to know your address in London. ” 

44 Did you tell him? ” 

44 1 do not know it, sir, ” she reminded me quietly. 

I removed my glasses and polished them. I am an 
expert physiognomist, but the girl’s impassivity baffled 
me. 

44 1 will leave it with you before I go away next time,” 
I promised. 44 Please put me out a grey tweed golf suit 
and stockings.” 

44 Shall you be requiring lunch, sir? ” she asked. 

44 1 will lunch at the Golf Club, ” I told her. “I 
shall dine at home. ” 


6 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 Is there anything particular you would like for 
dinner, sir? ” 

44 1 leave everything to you,” I replied. 

She left me silently and without further remark. 
When I went upstairs, a few minutes later, my bedroom 
as usual was spotlessly neat, my golfing clothes laid 
out without any single omission. I discarded my some¬ 
what heterogeneous articles of attire, donned my golf¬ 
ing habiliments with some care, and made my way to 
the links. In the passage of the clubhouse I met the 
Secretary. 

44 Are you wanting a game this afternoon, Mr. 
Stanfield? ” he asked. 

44 I should be glad of one, 99 I replied. 

44 There’s a man just come down, ” he went on, 
44 four handicap. You will find him in the luncheon 
room. ” 

I made my way there. Seated at a table alone was 
Sir Norman Greyes, the man who had watched for my 
arrest, a few hours ago, in Woollerton Road, Brixton. 


NORMAN GREYES 

I resigned my position at Scotland Yard earty in 
the autumn of 19 — for two reasons. First, as a pro¬ 
test against an act of gross injustice which, although it 
did not affect me personally, was still bitterly resented 
by the majority of my fellow workers; and secondly 
because, through the unexpected death of a distant 
relative, I succeeded to a baronetcy and a sufficient in- 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 


7 


come. I spent the best part of three years in travel, 
nearly half of which time I was in the United States. 
On my return to London I found myself, much against 
my will, hankering after my old profession. It was 
very clear to me that my old department had lost the 
mastery it had once attained over the criminal world. 
The problem of several cold-blooded murders and var¬ 
ious large and daring robberies remained entirely un¬ 
solved. In the intervals of my country life, I began 
to study these from an outsider’s point of view, chiefly 
from the columns of the newspapers, but also to some 
extent from hints and information supplied to me by 
my friend Inspector Rimmington, who had been one 
of my colleagues in the old days and now held the post 
which I had vacated. Gradually I came to a certain 
conclusion, a conclusion which I kept largely to myself 
because I felt sure that no one at the Yard was likely 
to agree with me. I decided that the majority of 
these undetected crimes were due to one person, or 
rather to one gang of criminals presided over by one 
master mind. Purely from the inherited instinct of 
my long years of service in the Police Force, I set my¬ 
self the task of hunting down this super-criminal. In 
November, 19—, I began to believe that I was on the 
right track. 

There were three crimes which I became convinced 
had been committed by the same hand. The first was 
the great robbery of jewels from Messrs. Henson and 
Watts’s establishment in Regent Street, and the mur¬ 
der of the watchman, who was shot dead at his post. 
No trace of even a single article of this jewellery had 


8 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

ever been discovered. The second crime was the rob¬ 
bery of a number of bearer bonds from a messenger 
in a railway carriage on the London, Chatham and 
Dover line. The messenger was also shot, but recov¬ 
ered after six months’ nursing, although he could never 
give any coherent account of what had happened to 
him. The bonds were disposed of in South America at 
a considerable loss. The third was the robbery from 
Lord Wenderley’s house in Park Lane of a great col¬ 
lection of uncut jewels, and the serious wounding of 
Lord Wenderley himself, who was attacked in the dark 
and who neither saw nor heard anything of his assail¬ 
ant. There were other crimes which I thought might 
be connected with these, but these three, for various 
reasons, became linked together in my mind as the out¬ 
come of one man’s brain. I set myself the task of 
discovering this one man, and the day came at last when 
I really believed that I was in a position to lay my 
hand upon him. There is no necessity to detail the 
whole train of circumstantial evidence which finally 
brought me to a certain conclusion. It is sufficient to 
say that after watching him for three weeks, I became 
convinced that a man by the name of Thomas Pugsley, 
carrying on business in Bermondsey as a leather agent, 
and living apparently the most respectable of lives at 
Brixton, was in some measure connected with these 
crimes. I discovered that his leather agency business 
was prosecuted without energy or attention, that his 
frequent absences from London were not in neighbour¬ 
hoods where his wares could be pushed, and that he was 
often away for a month at a time, with his whereabouts 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 


9 


unknown even to his landlady. The latter was a 
highly respectable woman at whose house he had lived 
for the last two years, and who I honestly believe was 
ignorant of her lodger’s antecedents, his habits and 
business. By taking rooms in the neighbourhood, I 
easily discovered all that she knew and one or two 
circumstances which lent colour to my suspicions. I 
placed these before Rimmington and it was decided to 
make an arrest. 

A more clumsy piece of business than this intended 
arrest was never planned or carried into effect. The 
inspector placed in charge of the affair by Rimming¬ 
ton, with his two subordinates, arrived at Brixton an 
hour later than the time fixed upon, accosted Pugsley 
in the street, and were very soon made aware of the 
class of person with whom they had to deal. Before 
the inspector could get out half-a-dozen words, he was 
lying on the pavement with a bullet through his 
shoulder. His companions dragged him on to the 
pavement and set him up against the railings. Then 
they turned to look for Pugsley. There was not a 
trace of him to be discovered anywhere. The amazing 
skill and cunning of the man was amply demonstrated 
on that morning. By some extraordinary means he 
seemed to disappear from the face of the earth. The 
books of his business, when examined, showed that he 
had done scarcely any business; his warehouseman was 
an honest but stupid fellow who knew nothing except 
that his master took numerous trips, he thought 
abroad, to obtain fresh agencies. There was enough 
money in the bank to pay all liabilities, but so far as 


10 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Thomas Pugsley himself was concerned, he seemed to 
have walked off the edge of the world. 

The morning which witnessed, however, the shoot¬ 
ing of the inspector and the remarkable disappearance 
of the man in whom I was so deeply interested, was 
memorable, so far as I was concerned, for another 
noteworthy incident. Absolutely disgusted with the 
result of my six months’ labours, I determined to wipe 
the whole thing from my memory and travelled down 
to Woking with the intention of playing a round of 
golf. I was introduced by the Secretary to a resident 
of the place whose name was James Stanfield, and we 
had a round which ranks amongst the best I ever played 
in my life. Stanfield was a silent but by no means a 
gloomy person. He appeared to be about forty years 
of age and an absolute golf maniac. He played every 
shot with the most ridiculous care, but I must confess 
with also the most wonderful precision. His drives 
were never long, but they were long enough for him to 
escape trouble, and in the approximate eighty shots 
which he took to complete the course, I cannot remem¬ 
ber one that was in any way fluffed or foozled. He 
beat me at the seventeenth hole, and it was whilst we 
stood together upon the eighteenth tee that the incident 
happened which was to bring still more excitement 
into the day. On our right was a small plantation of 
shrubs through which wound the path which my part¬ 
ner pointed out to me as leading to his house. Our 
attention was attracted by the continued barking of a 
small dog which had wandered from the adjacent foot¬ 
path. I had the curiosity to walk a step or two into 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 11 

the plantation to see what was the trouble. My com¬ 
panion, however, who was a little on my left, was the 
first to discover the cause of the dog’s excitement. At 
a little cry from him I hurried to his side. Stretched 
upon his back, with extended arms, and a small blue 
hole in his forehead, we found the body of a man. He 
was dead but still warm, and by an extraordinary 
chance I at once recognised him. He was one of the 
two plain-clothes policemen whom I had seen in Wool- 
lerton Road that morning, foiled in his attempt to ar¬ 
rest the man who had been passing under the name of 
Thomas Pugsley. 


JANET SOALE 

Just before midday on Thursday, the third of No¬ 
vember, my master made one of his unexpected reap¬ 
pearances. I was not surprised. Only the night before 
I had dreamed of him, and it seemed to me impossible 
that with my passionate prayers going out day by 
day, he should stay away much longer. When I first 
6aw him turn in at the gate, I was filled with wild 
excitement. If he could have seen me at that moment, 
he would have known and understood everything. By 
the time he had reached the front door, however, and I 
had let him in, I had regained my self-control. I must 
have seemed to him just the ordinary well-mannered, 
well-conducted parlourmaid. 

He changed his clothes and went off presently for his 
round of golf. When I went to his room to brush and 


12 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

press the clothes which he had taken off, I found, how¬ 
ever, that he had placed them in a drawer and appar¬ 
ently locked it. The discovery, coming on the top of 
many others, gave me food for thought. I resolved to 
watch the next morning’s newspapers. It was becom¬ 
ing more and more clear to me that there was some¬ 
thing in my master’s manner of life which he was anx¬ 
ious to conceal from the world. I was the more con¬ 
vinced of this when I saw that in the top drawer, which 
he had opened to take out a tie, he had concealed a 
small revolver, loaded in all six chambers. A merchant 
with offices in the City and a country cottage for golf 
does not carry a loaded revolver about with him. My 
heart beat with excitement as I picked it up and 
handled it. I forgot my master’s indifference. I 
ignored the fact that, although I am well enough to 
look upon, and that my face and figure have won me 
more admirers that I could count on the fingers of both 
hands, he has never cast a second glance in my direc¬ 
tion. I still had faith in myself if I chose to make the 
first advances. I have never made them to any man, 
but I have an instinct. I believe that he is cold and 
unresponsive from habit. I believe that if I could 
make him understand the fires which are burning me up 
night and day, he would throw off this mask of coldness 
and mystery, and give me that place in his life which 
I crave. 

I was loitering about his room, looking still at that 
closed drawer, when to my amazement a man entered — 
a thin, weedy-looking person, with sunken cheeks and 
a straggling, sandy moustache. I am not easily 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 13 


frightened, but it gave me a turn when he closed the 
door behind him. 

“What do you want? ” I asked sharply. “How 
dare you come up here? ” 

He looked at me earnestly. It was obvious that my 
first thought was a mistaken one. This was not one 
of the admirers whom I found it difficult sometimes to 
keep at arm’s length. 

“ Young woman, ” he said, “ I am a police officer. 
You seem to be a sensible girl. Answer the questions 
which I ask, do not obstruct me in the course of my 
duty, and you will be rewarded. ” 

I looked at him in silence for several moments. I 
do not think that I changed colour or showed anything 
of the terror which sat in my heart. My master was 
in danger. All the time I stood there, I was thinking. 
How was I to help? How could I help? 

“ Your master returned here an hour or so ago, ” 
this man continued, “ and has now gone off to play golf. 
I want the clothes which he wore when he came down. ” 
“ How do you know that he changed? ” I asked. 

“ I saw him come in and I saw him go out, ” was 
the quiet reply. “ This is his bedroom, is it not? ” 

“ It is, ” I admitted. 

“ Then the clothes must be here. Where are they? ” 
“ I do not know, ” I answered. “ I was looking for 
them myself. I was just going into the bathroom next 
door to see if he had left them there. ” 

He stepped back and entered the bathroom. He was 
only gone for a few seconds, but I found time to take 


14 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

the revolver from the tie drawer and to slip it into my 
open pocket. 

“ The bath has not been used, ” he said a little 
shortly, when he came back. “ I should like you to stay 
with me whilst I search these drawers. ” 

I made no objection, and he made a hasty search of 
the contents of the first two. When he came to the bot¬ 
tom one and found it locked, he gave vent to a little 
exclamation. 

“ Have you the key of this drawer? ” he demanded. 

“ No , 99 I answered. “My master has taken it with 
him. ” 

He made no bones for what he did, nor offered any 
apology. With an instrument which he carried in his 
pocket, he forced the lock and bent over the contents 
of the drawer. He was a man addicted, I should 
imagine, to silence, but I heard him muttering to him¬ 
self at what he found. When he stood up, there was 
a smile of triumph upon his lips. 

“ What time do you expect your master back ? 99 he 
enquired. 

“ I do not know, 99 I answered. “ He was lunching 
at the golf club and playing a round afterwards. 
About five o’clock, I should think. 99 

He walked to the window and stood looking out over 
the links. I, too, looked out. In the far distance we 
could see two men playing. 

“ Do you know the links ? ” he asked. 

“ Very well, ” I told him. “ I have lived here all my 
life. ” 

“ What hole are they playing now? 99 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 15 


“ The seventh.” 

“ What green is that just opposite? ” 

“ The seventeenth. ” 

“ Where is the tee for the eighteenth? ” 

“ Just out of sight underneath the trees. ” 

He nodded, apparently well content. His eyes lin¬ 
gered upon me. I saw a look in his face to which I was 
perfectly well accustomed. He had discovered that in 
my quiet way I was good-looking. He came a little 
nearer to me. 

“Are you very fond of your master? ” he asked. 

“ I see very little of him, ” I answered. “ He gives 
no trouble. 99 

“ Do you know that you are rather a pretty girl? ” 
he ventured, coming nearer still. 

“ I am always very careful of strangers who tell me 
so, ” I retorted, taking a step backwards. 

He laughed. 

“ You’ll give me just one kiss for this? ” he begged, 
holding out a pound note. “ You’re an intelligent 
girl and you’ve told me just wdiat I want to know..” 

I looked at him curiously. If it were true that I 
was an intelligent girl, it was scarcely a compliment 
which I could return. For a police officer he must 
have been a hopeless idiot. 

“ I don’t allow any one to kiss me, ” I objected, 
pushing the pound note away. 

“ You must put up with it just for once, ” he in¬ 
sisted. 

I scarcely believed that he was in earnest — and for 
the first time in my life a man kissed me upon the lips. 


16 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


I can find no words even now to describe the fury which 
was born in my heart against him. I feared even to 
speak, lest my passionate words might carry some 
warning to him of the things which were in my heart. 
He seemed perfectly indifferent, however, and in a few 
minutes he strolled out and made his way across the 
garden to the little spinney. I took up my master’s 
field glasses and satisfied myself that he was still a 
long distance away. I waited for a quarter of an hour. 
Then I took another path which led into the plantation 
and made my way cautiously to where the man was 
standing with folded arms, leaning against a tree. I 
drew nearer and nearer. I am light-footed and I have 
even been called stealthy. It was part of my early 
training as a parlourmaid to make no noise when I 
moved. So I stole to within a few yards of him, un¬ 
perceived and unheard. I am not an emotional person, 
and my mind was quite made up as to what I meant 
to do. It was curious, however, how slight things 
left vivid memories with me during those few 
seconds. It was a queer, gusty November day, with 
tumbled masses of clouds in the sky, and a wind which 
bent the tops of the sparse trees and brought the 
leaves rustling down the muddy paths. A bird was 
singing just overhead, and I remember that in those 
strained moments I found myself translating his song. 
He was singing because he was glad to be alive in this 
wood full of dying autumnal things. Very soon there 
would be company for the creeping and crawling in¬ 
sects to whom winter meant death. And afterwards! 
I had a vivid little mind-picture of a crowded court- 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 17 

house, of the judge who might try me and the jury 
who might pronounce my fate. For a moment I 
shivered. Then I thought of that loathsome caress. 
I thought of my master and I smiled. If he knew, he 
would thank me. Some day he would know! 

I was so close that I think my victim felt the breath 
from my lips or the sensation of my approaching body. 
He turned quickly around and I saw his eyes wide-open 
with apprehension. He would have shrunk away but 
he semed paralysed, and as he stood there I shot him 
through the forehead. He swayed on his feet, his 
mouth open like the mouth of an insane man. His 
eyes rolled, he pitched and fell forward on his face. I 
listened for a moment. Then I took the path back to 
the house. I had finished what I came out to do. 


MICHAEL 

y 

My round of golf with the man who was the de¬ 
clared hunter of my life and liberty afforded me no 
apprehension whatever, although I must confess that 
the first sight of Norman Greyes seated in the club 
luncheon room, only an hour or so after he had wit¬ 
nessed the abortive attempt to arrest me, was some¬ 
thing of a shock. I came to the conclusion, however, 
that his presence here was accidental, and in no way 
connected with that harmless and respectable inhabi¬ 
tant of the neighbourhood, James Stanfield. I played 
golf steadily and with success. It was not until that 
startling discovery close to the eighteenth tee that my 


18 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

equanimity was seriously disturbed. As we looked 
down upon the dead body of the plain-clothes police¬ 
man whom I had last seen in Woollerton Road, we 
both recognized him. No hint of anything of the sort, 
however, escaped from my lips. 

After the first few seconds of stupefaction, Greyes 
naturally took charge of the affair. He set the caddies 
to search all around for a weapon, and begged me to 
summon my gardener, or any one who might be of as¬ 
sistance. I called for Soale in vain, however, and re¬ 
membering that he had asked leave to visit his brother 
at Mayford, I abandoned the quest. Subsequently, 
one of the men working on the course appeared, and we 
carried the body into my tool shed. Greyes locked the 
door and telephoned for the police and doctor. 

“ You will excuse my apparent officiousness, ” he 
said, “ but I once had some connection with Scotland 
Yard. ” 

“ There is nothing to excuse, ” I assured him. “ I 
am only too thankful that you happened to be here. 
Do you think that it is a case of suicide? ” 

“ I have reasons for doubting it, ” he replied, “apart 
from which, if it were suicide, the weapon would have 
been found. As the event happened so close to your 
house and actually on your path, Mr. Stanfield, you 
will not mind, I am sure, if I ask your servants a few 
questions.” 

“ I shall be only too pleased, ” I told him. “ My 
staff is rather limited as I am only here occasionally. 
My gardener is out for the afternoon, so there only 
remains my maidservant.” 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 19 

I led the way into the house. Janet was busy in the 
kitchen but came at once at our summons. As usual, 
she was wonderfully neat, and her manner, although 
reserved, was perfectly open. 

“We want to know, ” my companion asked, 
whether there have been any callers at the house this 
afternoon? 99 

“ None, sir,” she replied, “ except the boy with the 
chicken I ordered for the master’s dinner. ” 

“ Have you seen any one about the place? ” 

“ No one, sir. ” 

“ Did you hear anything which might have been the 
report of a pistol? ” 

“ Nothing at all, sir. ” 

6( Have you been outside the house yourself? ” 

The girl shook her head. 

“1 have had no occasion to go out, sir, ” she replied. 
“ I have been busy in the kitchen. ” 

Greyes nodded and dismissed her after a few more 
unimportant questions. Soon a police inspector ar¬ 
rived, and the doctor. I let them visit the scene of 
the crime alone. As soon as they had gone, I went 
upstairs. I looked in my tie drawer for the small re¬ 
volver. It had gone. I looked in the bottom drawer, 
which I had left locked, for the clothes which I had 
worn when I had made my escape. The drawer had 
been forced open and they, too, had disappeared. 
Then I realised that I was faced with a problem. Some 
one had penetrated my defences. I had been — I prob¬ 
ably still was — in danger. I went down to the study 
and summoned Janet once more to my presence. When 



20 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


she arrived, I took a seat between her and the door. I 
made her face the window. Down in the straggling 
plantation, the police inspector was still talking to 
Greyes. 

44 Do you know anything about this affair which you 
did not tell Sir Norman Greyes?” I asked her. 

44 Yes, sir, ” she replied. 

I looked at her thoughtfully. She was very straight 
and shapely in the grey twilight. Her eyes met mine 
without flinching. I have been an indifferent student 
of women’s looks, but I realised then that they were a 
very beautiful though rather a cruel colour, greeny- 
brown of a light shade, with delicate lashes and finely 
cut eyebrows. There was a passionate curve to her 
lips which I had never before noticed. Her neatly 
braided hair was brown and lustrous. 

44 You had better tell me everything, Janet,” I en¬ 
joined. 

44 Soon after you had gone out, ” she said, 44 the man 
who lies in the outhouse came here and asked me ques¬ 
tions about you. He made his way into your bedroom. 

He was anxious to see the clothes in which vou had 

•/ 

travelled down. He opened the bottom drawer of 
your wardrobe and found them. ” 

44 There was a revolver in the top drawer, ” I re¬ 
marked. 

44 1 had discovered that and hidden it, ” she replied. 

44 And after he had found my clothes?” 

44 He went down to the plantation to wait for you. ” 

44 Did he say what he wanted ? ” 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 21 

“ He had told me that he was an officer of the 
police. ” 

“ And then? ” 

66 1 went down the other path, and I made my way 
across the spongy turf to where he was standing. 
When I was so near that there was no chance of missing 
him, I shot him dead. ” 

I am a man to whom courage is second nature, and 
I have seen death trifled with, and have trifled with it 
myself, like the juggler with his ball, but I have never 
heard it spoken of with more indifference. Outside, the 
figures of the detective and his companion were still 
visible in the little wood. The body of the dead man 
was only a few yards away. I leaned forward and 
looked at the girl, striving to get past the almost 
cynical impenetrability of her speech. 

“ Why did you do this, Janet? ” I asked. 

“ He did what no man in the world has ever dared 
to do before, sir, ” she replied. “ He kissed me — 
upon the lips! I wonder that I did not kill him where 
he stood! ” 

66 Had you no other reason except this, Janet? 99 I 
persisted. 

“ I wished to save you, sir, ” she answered. 

“ To save me from what? ” 

“ From the Law. ” 

“ You think that I was in danger? ” 

“ I know that you were. ” 

“ Who or what do you think I am? ” 

“ A great criminal, ” she answered. 

I was staggered, for it was plain to me now that I 


22 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


must have been at this girl’s mercy many a time. She 
went on slowly. 

44 I have always believed, ” she continued, 44 that you 
were leading a double life. The few visitors you have 
had have come at night, and secretly. Whenever you 
have arrived here and Mr. Stanfield has recommenced 
to play golf, there has been a tragedy or a great rob¬ 
bery in the newspapers on the following morning. I 
always felt that some day or other this would happen. 
Now that it has come, I,am glad. ” 

44 You realise that you have killed a man in cold 
blood?” I persisted, determined to try her to the 
limit. 

44 1 am glad that I have, ” she replied. 

44 For a domestic servant, ” I said, 44 you have a 
wonderful sense of your obligations. ” 

44 You need not scoff at me, ” she complained. 44 I 
am a woman, a dangerous woman but a clever one. I 
was not brought up to be a servant. I am fit to be your 
companion. That is my hope. ” 

44 I have never trusted a woman in my life, ” I told 
her. 

44 You will trust me, ” she declared, in a low tone. 
44 You will remember w r hat I have done for you to-day. 
I am the woman who was made to complete your life. 
You had better realise it and make use of me. You 
will not regret it. ” 

She came a little closer to me, and though women 
have never been more than the toys of my idle moments, 
I felt the passion of her strike into my heart. My 
senses were aflame. I saw life differently. Her voice 


THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 23 

became softer and more sibilant. She was like some 
beautiful animal. Her eyes were appealing but 
inhuman. 

“ You shall marry me, ” she continued. “ I have a 
fancy about that and I insist. Then think of the 
benefit. If disaster should come, I shall never be able 
to give evidence against you. But there will be no 
disaster. I know how clever you are. I, too, have 
brains. My master, say that this means something to 
you. I have given you proof nf my devotion. Repay 
me . 99 

I took her into my arms. There was a savage fire 
about her lips which warmed my blood, a fierce delight 
in her strange-coloured eyes which amazed whilst it 
enthralled me. This modern Borgia seemed to have 
fastened herself on to my life. The figures of the men 
in the little wood grew more shadowy. 

“Where is the pistol?” I whispered, holding her 
away from me for a moment. 

“ Where no one will ever find it, ” she answered. 

“ And the clothes ? ” 

“Burned. I run no risks when your safety is in 
question. 99 

The searchers came back to the house half an hour 
or so later. I was busy rebinding the handle of my 
putter. Janet was in the kitchen, preparing my din¬ 
ner. Greyes accepted a whisky and soda. He looked 
tired and a little dejected. 

“ Any luck ? 99 I asked him, under my breath, as he 
prepared to take his leave. 

He shook his head. 


24 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

66 So far as circumstantial evidence is concerned , 99 
he admitted, “ I am afraid we shall be in a bad way. 
A more brutal murder I never remember. A young 
man, too, with a wife and three or four children, simply 
out to do his duty. If- 99 

He stopped short, swallowed a little sob in his 
throat, and turned away. 

“ I hope that you will give me another game of golf 
some day, Mr. Stanfield , 99 he said, as he prepared to 
take his leave. 

“ With great pleasure, 99 I assented. 

NORMAN GREYES 

Yesterday the inquest on poor Richard Ladbrooke, 
after having been twice adjourned, resulted in a ver¬ 
dict of murder against some person or persons un¬ 
known. The verdict itself is a terrible reflection upon 
our present criminal methods. It pulls at the strings 
of my conscience with sickening intensity. Ladbrooke 
had found a clue which he confided to no one. He had 
travelled down to Woking in search of the missing man 
Pugsley — or Michael Sayers, as I believe him to have 
been. He must have been murdered there either by 
Pugsley himself or some confederate, yet not one of 
us has been able to lay our hands upon a single shred 
of evidence. I have been unable to tear myself away 
from the place. I have had several games of golf with 
Mr. Stanfield, and I have dined with him once at his 
house — a very excellent dinner and wonderfully 
cooked. He is desirous of offering a small reward for 



THE UNDISCOVERED MURDERER 25 


the apprehension of the murderer, but at present I 
have not encouraged him. I do not want a crowd of 
people stirring up the waters. I have not said as much 
to any one — not even to him — but I am making it 
the object of my life to lay my hands upon the so-called 
Thomas Pugsley. The day I find him, the mystery of 
Ladbrooke’s murder will be solved. And I shall find 
him! 



CHAPTER II 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

NORMAN GREYER TELLS THE WHOLE STORY 

On the evening of my return from the Riviera after 
a three months’ holiday, I was accosted in the lounge 
of Marridge’s Hotel by a middle-aged man of incon¬ 
spicuous appearance, who had been seated in a corner 
alone. It was some few seconds before I could recall 
him to my memory, but curiously enough a crowd of 
unpleasant associations gathered themselves together 
in my mind even before I recognised him. 

“ You haven’t forgotten me and our golf down at 
Woking, Sir Norman? ” he asked. 

I knew all about him then. 

“ Mr. Stanfield, isn’t it?” I said. “ No, I haven’t 
forgotten. ” 

I was a few minutes early for my party, and I ac¬ 
cepted the offer of a cocktail from my golfing ac¬ 
quaintance, while I waited. 

“ That was an extraordinary interruption to our 
first game, ” he remarked. “ I never fancied my little 
house much afterwards. I gave it up, in fact, within 
the year. ” 


27 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

“ I heard you had *left, ” I told him. “Have you 
still your model domestic? ” 

“ She left me soon afterwards, ” he replied regret¬ 
fully. 44 You had no luck in your investigations, Sir 
Norman? 99 

I shook my head. The subject was still a sore one 
with me. 

44 I had no luck at all, ” I confessed. 44 I came to 
certain conclusions which carried me a little way along 
the road, but all the clues ended abruptly. Yet I don’t 
despair. I always have the fancy that some day or 
other I shall solve that mystery. 99 

The waiter brought the cocktails and we raised our 
glasses. 

44 I drink, then, to that day, Sir Norman, ” my com¬ 
panion said. 

44 1 am with you , 99 I declared heartily. 

We talked idly of various matters for a few moments 
— principally of golf, which I had been playing reg¬ 
ularly in the South of France. There were several 
dinner parties being given in the restaurant that even¬ 
ing, and some very beautiful women were in evidence. 
One in particular attracted my attention. She was 
tall and, though slim, beautifully made. Her com¬ 
plexion was perfect, although a little colourless. Her 
strange-coloured eyes had a nameless attraction. Her 
hair, beautifully coiffured, was just the shade of brown 
which appealed to me. She bowed to my companion 
as she passed, and joined a little group at the farther 
end of the hall. The last thing I noticed about her 
was her wonderful string of pearls. 


28 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 That is a very beautiful woman, ” I remarked. 
44 Do you know who she is ? ” 

44 A South American widow — De Mendoza, her 
name is. ” 

44 You know her? ” 

44 My humble apartment is on the same floor as her 
suite, ” my companion replied. 44 She is gracious 
enough sometimes to remember the fact that we meet 
occasionally in the lift. ” 

My friends arrived, and I made my adieux to my 
erstwhile golfing acquaintance. Somehow or other, 
my meeting with him had left an unpleasant impression 
behind it. It had forced my thoughts back to the hu¬ 
miliating recollection of the fact that the murderer of 
Richard Ladbrooke still remained undiscovered, and 
that the man who had called himself Pugsley had 
walked away from detection under our very eyes and 
never been heard of since. Amongst my fellow guests 
was an official of the Home Office, and our con¬ 
versation naturally drifted into the subject of social 
order. 

44 Your connection with Scotland Yard having long 
since ceased, Sir Norman, ” he remarked to me, 44 you 
will not be over-sensitive as to facts. The epidemic of 
crime which was raging about two years ago seems to 
have broken out again with exactly the same results. 
There are four undetected murders and five great rob¬ 
beries up to the debit of your late department. Your 
people believe that the same person is at the head of it 
who planned all those robberies eighteen months ago 
and escaped arrest by shooting the inspector . 99 


29 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

I affected to take only a casual interest in the in¬ 
formation, but as a matter of fact I was considerably 
moved. If the man who had last concealed his identity 
under the name of Pugsley, but whom I strongly sus¬ 
pected to be the notorious Michael Sayers, had really 
come out into the open once more, life would certainly 
possess a new interest for me during the next few 
months. 

We were a party of six that evening — a celebrated 
criminal lawyer and his wife, my friend from the Home 
Office, with his wife and sister-in-law, and myself. The 
criminal lawyer, who was our host, heard scraps of our 
conversation and leaned forward. 

“ You did well to leave Scotland Yard when your 
reputation stood high, Sir Norman, ” he said. “ A new 
era of crime has dawned and the struggle is no longer 
equal. It isn’t the riffraff of the world to-day who take 
to murder and burglary. The skilled and conscience¬ 
less scientist has taken their place. The criminal 
of to-day, in nine cases out of ten, is of higher 
mental calibre than the detective who is opposed to 
him.” 

“ The struggle should be the more interesting, ” I 
remarked vaguely. 

It was a fancy of mine that my continued interest 
in my profession should remain as little known as 
possible, and I talked for some time on indifferent sub¬ 
jects to the lady who was seated by my side. We ad¬ 
mired Mrs. De Mendoza and her gorgeous rope of 
pearls. My host intervened. 

“ It is women like that, ” he commented, “ who 


30 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

choose to deck their bodies with jewels of fabulous 
value, who encourage crime. Roughly speaking, I 
dare say that necklace is worth eighty thousand pounds. 
For purposes of theft, it could probably be disposed of 
for fifty thousand. What a haul for the scientific thief! 
If it is really true that Pugsley is once more at work, 
what an opportunity! ” 

“ A woman must be very brave, ” my hostess de¬ 
clared, “ to run such risks. ” 

“ The jewels are probably in the hotel safe most of 
the time, ” I suggested. “ I don’t suppose she goes 
out in them. ” 

Our host smiled. 

“ I can imagine Pugsley finding a few minutes in the 
hotel quite sufficient, ” he observed. 66 He or his suc¬ 
cessors, whoever they may be, would think little enough 
of human life by the side of, say, fifty thousand pounds. 
The modern maxim of the thief seems to be all or noth¬ 
ing. By killing at sight they certainly increase their 
chances of escape. ” 

That closed our conversation upon the subject. We 
sat about in the lounge and drank coffee and liqueurs, 
danced for a time and smoked a few cigarettes. The 
party broke up as the lights in the lounge were being 
lowered. I was the only one of our little gathering re¬ 
maining in the hotel, and I was talking for a few mo¬ 
ments to the head porter, who was an old acquaintance 
of mine, when a man made a somewhat hurried entrance 
through the swing doors and seemed on the point of 
proceeding to the office. As he saw me, however, he 
hesitated and, turning aside, addressed me. 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 31 

“ Excuse me, but are you Sir Norman Greyes? ” he 
asked. 

I admitted the fact. 

44 Can I ask you to give me five minutes of your time 
on a matter of urgent business ? ” 

I looked at him with some surprise. His voice and 
address were good, and in appearance he differed in no 
respect from the crowd of diners who frequented the 
place. He drew a card from his pocket and handed it 
to me. 

44 It is an absurd hour, I know, to trouble you,” he 
apologised, 46 but I can explain in a very few minutes if 
you will give me the opportunity. 99 

I stepped underneath one of the electric standards 
and looked at the card — 

MR. STANLEY DELCHESTER 

and underneath was the name of a famous insurance 
company. I motioned him to follow me into the de¬ 
serted lounge and invited him to take a chair. I must 
say that he wasted no time in stating his business. 

44 Many years ago, Sir Norman,” he reminded me, 
44 when you were officially engaged at Scotland Yard, 
you saved our firm a great loss in the matter of the 
Hatton Gardens emerald theft. ” 

44 1 remember it quite well, ” I admitted. 

44 We understand , 99 my visitor continued, 44 that 
you have now resigned from the Force, but we hoped 
that you might be inclined to undertake a small com¬ 
mission for us. It came to the ears of our Chief quite 


32 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

unexpectedly that you were staying here, and he sent 
me after you at once. 99 

“ I can at least hear what the business is,” I re¬ 
plied. 

“ There is staying in this hotel, 99 the insurance 
agent proceeded, “a Mrs. De Mendoza, the reputed 
widow of a fruit merchant in Buenos Ayres. She is the 
fortunate possessor of a very wonderful pearl necklace, 
which she has insured with our firm for a hundred 
thousand pounds. Our acceptance of the policy was a 
grave error which we recognised almost immediately 
afterwards. We know nothing of the lady, and under 
those circumstances it is against our business policy 
to accept the risk. We have done our best to protect 
ourselves, however. Since the policy was issued we 
have kept in constant touch with the lady and in daily 
communication with the hotel detective. By to-night’s 
post, however, we had a message from the latter to say 
that he was at home ill, and that during his absence 
his duties would be taken over by the night watchman. 
The policy has only one more week to run, and will not 
under any conditions be renewed. We want to know if, 
for any fee which you care to name, you will do your 
best to guard the necklace for us during that week? ” 

“Have you had any intimation of thieves working in 
this neighbourhood? 99 I asked him. 

“ None whatever, ” he replied. “ I will be perfectly 
frank with you. It is not an ordinary robbery of 
which we are afraid. For some reason or other, our 
enquiry department has formed a dubious opinion of 
Mrs. De Mendoza herself. 99 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 33 

“ I see, ” I remarked. “ You are afraid of a bogus 
theft. 99 

“ Precisely! Directly we received the letter from 
the hotel detective, we rang up the manager here. All 
that we could learn was that the illness was altogether 
unexpected, and that the man had been compelled to 
go home at a moment’s notice. In reply to our request 
that a trained detective might take his place, the man¬ 
agement assured us that they considered nothing of 
the sort necessary. No robbery of jewels had ever 
taken place from this hotel, and they considered their 
night porter fully competent to watch over the interests 
of their guests. 99 

I considered for a moment. 

“ Sir William Greaves, our manager, desired me to 
suggest a fee of two hundred guineas , 99 my visitor con¬ 
cluded. 

“ I will accept the commission, ” I promised. 

The next morning I interviewed the manager of the 
hotel, to whom I was well known. He showed some irri¬ 
tation when I spoke of Mrs. De Mendoza’s necklace 
and her nervousness concerning it. . 

“ To be quite frank with you, ” he confessed, “ al¬ 
though Mrs. De Mendoza is a good client and pays her 
accounts regularly, I am inclined to be sorry that we 
ever let her the rooms. ” 

“Why?” I asked. 

“ People with valuable jewellery should accept its 
possession with a certain resignation, ” he replied. 
“ This is the last hotel in London where a jewel rob- 


34 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

bery would be likely. The lady herself, I understand, 
takes every possible care and caution. She wears her 
necklace nowhere except in the restaurant and lounge, 
and every night it is deposited in the hotel safe. I 
cannot see that she has the slightest cause for anxiety, 
nor do I understand the nervousness of the insurance 
company. However, you may rely upon it, Sir Norman, 
that every facility will be given to you in your task. I 
would suggest that you pay a visit to the lady herself.” 

The idea had already occurred to me, and later in 
the day I sent up my card to Mrs. De Mendoza and 
was at once invited to enter her sitting room. I found 
her writing letters, simply dressed in a black negligee 
and wearing the pearls. I was struck once more by 
the extreme elegance of her bearing and figure. As 
she turned and invited me to seat mvself, she stirred in 
my memory a faint suggestion of reminiscence. I was 
not sure even then, however, whether it were a real per¬ 
son or a picture of which she reminded me. She listened 
to the few words with which I introduced myself and 
smiled deprecatingly. 

“ It is true that I am very foolish, ” she admitted, 
“ but then I have always been a person of superstitions. 
I have owned my necklace for some years, and I have 
had it with me in quite lawless places. I have never, 
however, felt just the same amount of apprehension as 
I do at the present moment. ” 

“ That certainly seems strange, ” I replied. “ The 
servants at this hotel are more carefully chosen than 
at any other hotel in London, and the guests are in 
nearly every case old clients. ” 


35 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

She shrugged her shoulders. 

“ Apprehensions such as mine, ” she said, “ are not 
based upon reason. However, I must confess that I 
feel more comfortable now that the insurance company 
has engaged your services. Would you not like to 
examine the pearls ? ” 

She came over to my side, and, without unclasping 
the necklace, let it rest in my hands. The pearls were 
all marvellously matched, all of considerable size, and 
with that milky softness -which she pointed out to me 
as being a proof of their great perfection. As we 
stood there, necessarily close together, a wisp of her 
hair touched my forehead. Something in the timbre 
of her low laugh as she brushed it back, induced me to 
look up. There were qualities about her smile and the 
peculiar expression of her eyes which gave me a momen¬ 
tary thrill. I understood at once why men turned 
their heads alw r ays to look at her. Notwithstanding 
her reserved appearance, she possessed that strange 
gift of allurement which Helen of Troy might have 
bequeathed to Mademoiselle de Valliere. 

“ Do you admire my pearls? ” she asked softly. 

I let them slip from my palm. 

66 They are very wonderful, ” I admitted. 

She moved slowly away. I breathed more easily as 
the distance increased between us. She looked over her 
shoulder unexpectedly and I believe that she realised 
my sensation. The slight frown passed from her fore¬ 
head. She was obviously more content. 

“ Tell me how you propose to guard my treasures, 
Sir Norman? ” she enquired, as she sank into an easy- 


36 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

chair. “ Shall you stand behind my chair at dinner, 
disguised as a waiter, and lie on my mat at night? It 
gives one quite a shivery sensation to think of such 
espionage! ” 

“ Believe me , 99 I assured her, “ I shall not be in the 
least obtrusive. I understand that you send your 
pearls down every night to the hotel safe. 99 

“1 have always done so, ” she answered. “ Do you 
think it would be better to keep them up here? Will 
you promise to sit in this easy-chair, with a revolver 
on your knee, all night, if I do so ? ” 

“ Not for the world, ” I declared. “ The hotel safe 
is much the better place. 99 

“ I am glad to hear your decision, 99 she said, with 
a slight smile. “ I should sleep very little if I thought 
that my pearls were near me — and that you were 
sitting here, on guard. The idea would be disturbing. 99 
66 One cannot guard against miracles, ” I observed, 
“ but I think you can make your mind quite easy about 
the necklace. If you should need me at any time, the 
number of my room is four hundred and thirty-two. ” 
“ On this floor? 99 
“ On this floor . 99 

“ Tell me, ” she asked a little abruptly, as I rose to 
take my leave, “ who was the man with whom you were 
talking last night in the lounge — a slim, middle-aged 
man with a very hard face? I am always seeing him in 
the lift. 99 

“ A man I know scercely anything of, 99 I replied. 
“ His name, I believe, is Stanfield. I once played golf 
with him down at Woking. ” 


37 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

6i Stanfield? ” she repeated. 44 Was it in his grounds 
near Woking that a murder was committed — a police¬ 
man was found shot there? ” 

I nodded. 

“1 was playing golf with Mr. Stanfield at the time, ” 
I told her. 

44 And the murderer was never discovered? ” 

44 Never! ” 

44 I wonder you didn’t take an interest in the case 
yourself, ” she remarked. 

44 I did, ” I told her. 

She made a little grimace. 

44 My fears for my necklace are reawakened, ” she 
declared. 44 Surely it ought to have been an easy task 
for a clever man like you, one who used to be called a 
really great detective, to discover the murderer? ” 

44 It is beyond my powers to bring him to justice, at 
any rate, ” I replied. 44 There are many criminals 
walking about to-day, of whose guilt the police are per¬ 
fectly well aware. They cannot be arrested, however, 
for lack of evidence. ” 

44 How thrilling!” she murmured. 44 Will you ask 
me to dine with you one night and tell me some of your 
adventures ? ” 

44 I shall be charmed, ” I assented. 44 Meanwhile, — ” 
She accepted my departure a little unwillingly. I am 
not a vain man, and I felt inclined to wonder at a cer¬ 
tain graciousness of attitude on her part which more 
than once during our interview had forced itself 
upon my notice. I decided, however, that she was 
just one of those women who are born with the desire 


38 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


to attract and dismissed the matter from my mind. 

About seven o’clock, a note was brought into my 
room: 

Dear Sir Norman, 

A lad}' and her husband who were dining, have 
disappointed me. Can you, by any chance, be my 
guest? If so, let us meet at eight o’clock in the 
lounge. 

Hopefully yours, 

Blanche de Mendoza 

I scribbled a line of acceptance. I felt, as I 
descended into the lounge that evening, a premonition 
that life for the next few hours was going to be very 
interesting indeed. 

At eight o’clock precisely, Mrs. De Mendoza came 
into the lounge. She was wearing a white lace evening 
dress, with an ermine wrap which hung loosely around 
her, disclosing the pearls underneath. Her entrance 
made a mild sensation. Mr. Stanfield, who was seated 
in his accustomed corner, drinking his cocktail, watched 
our meeting and departure into the restaurant with 
obvious surprise. 

“ The little man was there again who stares at me 
so much — Mr. Stanfield, I think you called him?” 
she remarked, as we took our places. 

I nodded. 

“ I dare say he was surprised to see us together, ” 
I said. “ I asked him who you were, on the night of 
my arrival here. ” 

“ Why ? ” 


39 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

44 For the same reason that a great many other 
people ask the same question, ” I replied. 

She made a little grimace. 

44 You are determined to pay me no compliments this 
evening, and I am wearing my favourite gown. ” 

44 I admire vour taste, ” I assured her. 

44 Anything else ? ” 

44 You are the best-dressed and the best-looking 
woman in the room. 99 

44 Too impersonal, 99 she complained. 

I turned the conversation to the subject of the neck¬ 
lace. The pearls were collected for her, she told me, by 
her husband, some in India, some in the Malay States, 
some in Paris, some in Rio. She spoke of him quite 
frankly — a prosperous fruit-broker who had achieved 
sudden opulence. 

44 It was quite as much a change for me as for him, 99 
she remarked. 44 I was a typist in Buenos Ayres before 
we were married. I have known what it is to be poor. ” 

She answered all my questions without reserve, dis¬ 
playing later on much interest in the recounting of 
such of my adventures as were public property. I 
began to feel that I had been mistaken with regard to 
her, that she was really exactly what she seemed — a 
very wealthy woman of adventurous type, suddenly 
released from matrimonial obligations and a little un¬ 
certain what to make of her life. 

We took our coffee in the lounge afterwards. In 
the background, my golfing friend, Mr. Stanfield, was 
seated, smoking a cigar in a retired corner, and having 
the air of studying every one who passed. 



40 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ He is quaint, that little man, ” my companion re¬ 
marked once, as he glanced over towards us. “ He re¬ 
minds me of those impossible characters one reads 
about in magazines, who detect crime for the pleasure 
of it, and discover hidden treasures in absurd places. 55 

“ He is, as a matter of fact, ” I told her, “ a retired 
city merchant with a passion for golf — at least, that 
is what the Golf Secretary at Woking told me. 99 

The music was seductive, and presently we danced 
once or twice. In the ballroom, however, my companion 
showed signs of renewed ilervousness. The fingers of 
one hand were nearly all the time straying around her 
neck, as though to assure herself that the necklace was 
still there. Presently she drew me away with an 
apologetic little laugh. 

“ I am quite mad , 99 she confessed, “ but I have a fit 
of nerves to-night. I am going upstairs early. Do you 
mind? 99 

“ Of course not, ” I told her. “ Let me see you to 
the lift . 99 

“ I am going to ask you to do more than that , 55 she 
said, as we crossed the hall. “ I am going to ask you 
to come lip to my sitting room and escort my maid 
down to the office when she takes my necklace there. 
As a reward, you can come back afterwards, if you will, 
and have a whisky and soda with me. 99 

“ I shall be very pleased, 99 I acquiesced. 

I rang for the lift and we ascended together to the 
fourth floor. She handed me her key and I unlocked 
the door of her charming little salon. She pointed to 
the evening paper and an easy-chair. 


41 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

66 Please make yourself comfortable for five min¬ 
utes, ” she begged, looking back from the threshold of 
the inner room. 44 I shall just let Annette help me out 
of my gown. Then I will give her the jewel case and 
she shall call for you. ” 

She nodded and disappeared. I stood for a mo¬ 
ment looking after her. The door was closed softly. 
I heard her call to her maid in the further apartment. 

Those next few seconds seemed to beat themselves 
out in my brain, charged with a strange and almost 
amazing significance. I am convinced that I acted from 
impulse. There was nothing definite in my mind when 
from behind that closed door I conceived the sudden 
idea which prompted my action. I crossed the floor 
of the sitting room and opened the door which led on 
to the corridor. There was no one in sight, and it 
seemed to me that fewer of the electric lights were lit 
than usual. I stood there, every nerve of my body 
rivetted upon an attempt at dual listening. I listened 
for the return of Mrs. De Mendoza, and I listened for 
the opening of either of her doors. Presently, what I 
had divined might happen came to pass. The door of 
her bedroom, in a line with the one behind which I was 
lurking, opened. I peered through the crack. Annette, 
the maid, a trim, dark figure, had crossed the threshold. 
She stood for a moment, listening. Then without even 
glancing towards the sitting room, she walked swiftly 
along the corridor and turned to the left towards the 
lift and staircases. In a couple of stealthy strides I, 
too, had reached the corner, and* peering round, 
watched her movements. To my surprise, she passed 


42 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

the lift and turned the other corner of the corridor 
towards the staircase. As soon as she was out of 
sight, I followed. As I reached the farther angle, 
every light was suddenly extinguished. There was a 
little gurgling cry, the sound of a heavy fall upon the 
soft carpet. In a second or two I was on the spot. 
I could dimly see where Annette was lying, gasping 
for breath, apparently half-unconscious. By her side 
lay the jewel case, open and empty. 

I did nothing for a moment towards raising any 
alarm. I bent over the girl and satisfied myself that 
she was not shamming,—that she had, in effect, been 
subjected to a certain amount of violence. I glanced 
at the transoms over the doors of the bedrooms op¬ 
posite. There were three of them between where I was 
and the turn to the lift. Suddenly the farthest door 
was opened, softly but not stealthily. A figure ap¬ 
peared and, leaning down, threw a pair of boots upon 
the mat. I suppose that I was dimly visible in the 
semi-gloom, for the man suddenly left off whistling 
and turned in my direction. 

“ Hullo, there! ” he called out. 

I drew from my pocket the little electric torch which 
I had been keeping in readiness, and flashed it upon 
him. It was my friend Mr. Stanfield, in striped yellow 
and white pyjamas, a cigarette between his teeth, his 
feet encased in comfortable slippers. 

“What the devil are you doing out there?” he 
demanded. “And who’s turned the lights out? ” 

“ Better turn them on and you may see, ” I replied. 
“ There’s a switch close to 3 r our door. ” 


43 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

He found it after a second or two’s fumbling and 
stared at us in amazement. The maid, with her fingers 
still to her throat, had recovered sufficiently to sit up, 
and was leaning with her back to the wall, ghastly 
white and moaning to herself. The empty jewel case 
told its own story. 

“ Jerusalem! ” Mr. Stanfield exclaimed breathlessly. 
“ A robbery! ” 

“ Ring your bell, ” I directed. 

He disappeared into his room for a moment, leaving 
the door open. Presently he reappeared. 

“ I’ve rung all three, ” he announced. 

“ Then the wires have been cut, ” I answered, point¬ 
ing to the register lower down, which had not moved. 
“ Go to the lift and see if you can get any one. ” 

He was gone for about half a minute. I leaned down 
towards the girl, who was beginning to cry. 

“ Did you see who attacked you? ” I asked. 

“ No! ” she sobbed. “ All the lights w T ent out sud¬ 
denly. Some one came up from behind. I never heard 
a sound — just the clutch at my throat and the 
choking. ” 

“ Why did you not wait for me or go down by the 
lift ? ” I demanded. 

She looked a little puzzled. 

“ I never go by the lift, ” she replied. 

“Why not?” 

“ Fred, the second-floor valet, generally meets me on 
the floor below, ” she explained reluctantly, “ and — ” 

“ I see, ” I interrupted. “ But didn’t your mistress 
tell you to wait and go down with me? ” 


44 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


The girl seemed surprised. 

44 My head is queer, ” she admitted, 44 and I can’t 
remember much, but madame said nothing to me except 
to tell me to hurry down. 99 

The silence of the corridor was suddenly broken. 
Mr. Stanfield reappeared, followed by a little army of 
servants and the manager. 

44 Send every one away except two men whom you 
can trust , 99 I begged the latter. 44 Mrs. De Mendoza’s 
necklace has been stolen. ” 

There was a murmur of consternation and excite¬ 
ment. The manager selected two of the servants and 
dismissed the rest. He posted one by the lift and one 
by the staircase. I explained in a few words what had 
happened. 

44 Do you think the thief has got away? ” he asked. 
44 One cannot tell, ” I replied. 44 1 want to know 
about these three rooms. ” 

He glanced at the numbers. 

44 The furthest one is occupied by Mr. Stanfield,” 
he announced. 44 The other two are empty. ” 

44 You are sure that this one, ” I asked, pointing to 
the door close to where we stood, 44 is unoccupied? ” 

44 Certain, ” was the confident reply. 44 Take my 
keys and see for yourself. 99 

I was on the point of doing so when Mrs. De Men¬ 
doza appeared. She was clad in a wonderful light- 
blue wrapper,, and the touch of excitement seemed to 
add to her beauty. 

44 My necklace! ” she gasped. 44 Don’t tell me that 
it is gone ! 99 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 45 

44 Madam, ” the manager began, 44 I regret to 
say-” 

64 What were you doing, then? ” she cried, turning 
to me. 44 Do you mean to say that it was stolen whilst 
Annette w T as with you? ” 

44 Annette was never with me, ” I replied. 44 She left 
your bedroom with the jewel case, without coming near 
the sitting room.” 

44 Is this true, Annette? ” her mistress demanded. 

44 But why not, Madame? ” Annette faltered. 44 You 
said nothing to me about going into the sitting room. I 
did not know that monsieur was to accompany me. ” 

44 The girl is telling a falsehood, ” Mrs. De Mendoza 
declared angrily. 

44 Could these matters wait for a moment? ” I inter¬ 
vened. 44 Our immediate task is to try and recover the 
necklace. I wish every one to leave this place — except 
you, sir, ” I added, addressing the manager, 44 and 
myself. ” 

The manager w T as a person of determination, and 
in a moment or two the corridor was empty. Mr. 
Stanfield lingered on the threshold of his room. 

44 Can I remain?” he enquired. 44 In a way I am 
interested, as my room is so near. ” 

The manager waved him back. 

44 I desire to hear what Sir Norman has to say, 
alone, ” he insisted. 

Mr. Stanfield reluctantly withdrew. We first of all 
entered the room opposite to us. It was empty and 
apparently undisturbed. There was a connecting door 
on the left. 



46 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

66 Where does that lead to? ” I asked. 

The manager unlocked it. It led into a similar room, 
also empty. The room on the other side was Mr. 
Stanfield’s, also connecting. The outlook of all three 
was on to some mews. 

“ These are our cheapest rooms, ” my companion 
explained. “ They are generally occupied by servants, 
or people of an economical turn of mind. ” 

. We withdrew into the first one we had entered. 

“ Will you lend me that master-key of yours ? ” I 
begged. 

The manager detached it from his chain and handed 
it to me. 

“ If you should be instrumental in recovering the 
necklace, Sir Norman, ” he said, “ the hotel authorities 
would appreciate all possible reticence in the matter. ” 

I nodded. 

“ It is hard to keep anything out of the Press, now¬ 
adays, ” I reminded him, “ but so far as I am con¬ 
cerned, you may rely upon my discretion. ” 

The few days that followed were filled with hysterical 
and irritating appeals, complaints and enquiries from 
Mrs. De Mendoza herself, the insurance company and 
the management. No efforts on our part could keep 
the affair out of the newspapers, and the disappearance 
of the necklace became the universal subject of conver¬ 
sation. A hundred amateur detectives suggested solu¬ 
tions of the mystery, and thousands of knowing people 
were quite sure that they could put their hands on the 
thief. On the morning of the sixth day after the rob¬ 
bery, I felt that a brief escape was necessary. I pro- 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 47 

posed to Mr. Stanfield, whom I met in the hall of the 
hotel, that we go down to Woking and have a round of 
golf, an arrangement to which he agreed with avidity. 
We lunched at the club house, and, as on previous oc¬ 
casions we played a careful and hard-fought game. It 
was on the eighteenth tee that one of those unexplained 
moments of inspiration came to me which serve as the 
landmarks of life. We had spoken of that grim trag¬ 
edy which had interrupted our first game. I thought of 
poor Ladbrooke lying there with a bullet hole in his 
forehead; Janet, the maid, serene and secretive, with 
the strange eyes and unruffled manner. The memory 
of these things came back to me as I stood there, with 
the wet wind fluttering in the leaves of the trees and 
Stanfield filling his pipe by my side, and it seemed as 
though my faculties were suddenly prompted by a new 
vigour and a new insight. Supposing it had been the 
maid who had killed the prying stranger! What was 
her motive? Whom was she trying to shield? Could it 
be her master? And if her master’s name were not 
Stanfield, might it not be Pugsley? The two men were 
of the same height and build, and the one thing which 
Rimmington had always insisted upon was Pugsley’s 
genius for disguise. 'The pieces of my puzzle fell to¬ 
gether like magic, and with them the puzzle of the neck¬ 
lace. I turned back to the tee, and I was suddenly con¬ 
scious of my companion’s intense gaze. His eyes 
seemed to be boring their way into the back of my head. 
I knew that something in my face had given me awa} T . 

“ Your honour, ” he said tersely. 

* •/ 

I topped my drive miserably. My companion’s drive 


48 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


went sailing down the course, and he halved the match 
in a perfectly played four. We walked together to the 
club house. 

“ A whisky and soda? ” I suggested. 

44 I’ll change my shoes first, ” he answered, turning 
towards the dressing room. 

I drank my whisky and soda, exchanged greetings 
with a few acquaintances, and paid my bill. Then I 
went to look for Stanfield. I might have spared myself 
the trouble. He and the taxi had alike disappeared. 
I had to wait whilst they telephoned for another, and 
I travelled up to London alone. 

The game was played out in quite the grand fashion. 
On my arrival at the hotel, I found the representative 
of the insurance company waiting to see me, and I was 
told that Mrs. De Mendoza was in her room. Accom¬ 
panied by the manager, we made our way thither. I 
think that she was well prepared for what was coming, 
or rather one part of it. She received us a little im¬ 
patiently. 

44 1 have been waiting to hear from your firm all 
day, ” she said, addressing Delchester. 44 My jewellers 
who valued the pearls, and my legal adviser have helped 
to make out my claim. I am anxious to know when I 
may expect your cheque. ” 

44 I am thankful to say, madam, that that will not be 
necessary, ” the manager announced, stepping forward. 
44 Here is your necklace. ” 

He handed it to her. She stared at it like a woman 
transfixed. There were no signs of joy in her face. 
She seemed, indeed, for the moment stricken with con¬ 
sternation. 


49 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

44 When was it found? ” she demanded breathlessly. 

44 About four o’clock on the morning after the 
• theft, ” I told her. 

44 But where? ” 

44 If you will come with me, ” I replied, 44 I will show 
you. ” 

I led the way down the corridor to the exact spot 
where Annette had been attacked and opened the door 
of the nearest room. I saw Mrs. De Mendoza start 
when she saw the heavy bolt which had been fitted to the 
communicating door. 

44 I came to the conclusion, ” I explained, 44 that the 
theft was committed by some one hiding in one of these 
three rooms, and to the further conclusion that the 
necklace had been hidden on the spot. ” 

44 How did you guess that? ” she enquired. 

44 Because the thief made a slight blunder, ” I an¬ 
swered. 44 For a single moment, as I stood by Annette’s 
side in the darkness outside, I saw a light flash out 
through the transom of this room. I must admit, how¬ 
ever, ” I went on, 44 that it took me four hours to find 
the necklace. ” 

44 Where was it then? ” she asked curiously. 

I turned up the rug. In one of the planks of the 
wooden floor was a knot. I took a little corkscrew 
gimlet from my pocket, bored through it and drew it 
out. Then I made Delchester push his finger through. 
There was a hook fastened in the underneath side of 
the floor. 

44 The necklace was hanging there, ” I told him. 44 1 
imagine it would have been found later on by some one 


50 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


making a point of occupying this room. As a matter 
of fact, I believe it was booked for the first week in 
June. ” 

44 By whom? ” Mrs. De Mendoza demanded. 

“ By Mr. Stanfield, ” I replied. “ He is paying a 
return visit in June, and he appears to prefer this room 
to the one he is occupying at present. ” 

There was a brief silence. Delchester held out his 
hand. 

44 We are very much obliged to you, Sir Norman, ” he 
declared. 44 Our insurance, as you know, expired at 
mid-day to-day. I need not say that it will not be 
renewed. I wish you all good morning. ” 

He took his leave. The manager appealed to me. 

44 Sir Norman, ” he said, 44 there is a great deal in 
this matter which it is hard to understand. I hope 
that you will not consider it a case for the police? ” 

I turned to Mrs. De Mendoza. 

44 Do you wish to prosecute? ” I asked. 64 There is 
a certain amount of circumstantial evidence which 
might be collected.” 

44 Against whom ? 99 

‘“Against the gentleman whom w r e have known as 
Mr. Stanfield.” 

She laughed scornfully. 

44 That funny little man who sits about in the lounge? 
I would as soon believe that you yourself were the thief, 
Sir Norman! I have my necklace back, and that is all 
I care about, ” she concluded. 

The manager departed, very much relieved. Mrs. 
De Mendoza beckoned me to follow her to her suite. 


51 


THE KISS OF JUDAS 

Arrived in her sitting room, she closed the door. She 
had rather the look of a tigress as she turned and 
faced me. Never was a woman born of more splendid 
courage. 

“And the epilogue? ” she asked. 

“ I fear, ” I replied, “ that the epilogue must be 
postponed. It was only to-day, on Woking Golf 
Links, that a certain little scene of eighteen months 
ago became reconstructed in my mind. I saw a motive¬ 
less crime explained. I realised by whose hand that 
bullet might have found its way into Ladbrooke’s brain, 
and for whose sake. 99 

“ Yet you let him go ! 99 she cried. 

“ If I had dreamed, ” I said slowly, “ that it was 
possible for him to escape, even for an hour, I would 
have wrung the breath from his body first. As it is, I 
must admit that he has scored a trick. But you must 
remember, or perhaps you have yet to find out, ” I went 
on, “ that the world where such a man can live is a 
very small place. ” 

“And what about me?” she asked. “From the 
moment when I heard that you had gone out with him 
alone, I could foresee what was coming. Yet I was not 
afraid. I waited for you. 99 

I looked at the necklace and shrugged my shoulders. 
“ It is hard to leave a hundred thousand pounds, ” I 
pointed out, “ and so far as you realised, the game was 
not up. Not a soul in this hotel knew that the neck¬ 
lace was in the manager’s safe. Yet you had courage 
to remain and see the thing through. I admit that. ” 
She came a little nearer to me. The green lights in 


52 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


her eyes were soft. I felt the attraction of her as she 
meant me to. 

44 Where I love, ” she said, 44 I have courage, and 
my love has every quality which the devil ever distilled, 
except constancy. Are you afraid of me, Sir Norman, 
because I killed a man who-” 

44 A confession, ” I muttered. 

She laughed. 

44 No witnesses, ” she reminded me. 44 After all, it 
was you who once said that murder was the easiest of 
crimes. What you know and what I know will never 
take me to the dock. Would you put me there if you 
could, my enemy? ” 

I drew a little away. Her breath was almost upon 
my cheek, her lips had taken to themselves the curve 
of invitation. 

44 I would put you there without a moment’s hesi¬ 
tation, ” I retorted. 44 You killed a man in cold blood 
to shield a murderer and a criminal. The hand of 
justice is slow, especially where evidence is scanty, but 
in the end it grips. ” 

She laughed scornfully. 

44 You speak in ignorance, ” she declared. 44 At least 
be friends, ” she went on, 44 until you can drag me to 
the gallows. I shot him with my right hand. ” 

She held out her left fingers. I raised them to my 
lips. 

44 The kiss of Judas, ” I warned her. 

44 You will need more than his cunning, ” she 
answered. 



CHAPTER III 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 

MICHAEL SAYERS 

It had taken months to collect all the necessary in¬ 
formation and make the preliminary arrangements, but 
the moment had arrived at last. At twenty minutes 

•j 

to twelve on a Friday morning, I descended from a 
rather shabby Ford car exactly opposite Bailey’s 
grocery stores at the corner of Menwood Street, in 
one of the northern suburbs of Leeds. It is a neigh¬ 
bourhood of six-roomed houses and long, cobbled 
streets; a neighbourhood teeming with men and women 
w'hen the great factories close at hand are empty, but 
at this particular hour of the day, before the children’s 
schools have finished their morning session, and whilst 
the men and a considerable portion of the women are 
still in the mills, showing signs of something approach¬ 
ing desertion. There was a handsome grey touring 
landaillette containing two passengers, a man and a 
woman, drawn up on the other side of the way, appar¬ 
ently to take advantage of the shade of some tall ad¬ 
vertisement boardings whilst the chauffeur filled up 


54 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


with petrol. Otherwise, a careful glance up and down 
the street convinced me that not a soul was in sight. 

I walked along a hot, asphalt path, and turned the 
corner into what was known as the Boulevard, almost 
unnoticed. On my left was a stretch of waste ground, 
black and stinking with refuse, empty tins and bottles, 
abandoned even by the children as an undesirable play¬ 
ground. On my right were more houses in course of 
erection, deserted to-day by reason of an opportune 
strike amongst the masons. The only inhabited edifice 
was the one where my business lay. A brass plate upon 
the door indicated that this was a branch of Brown’s 
Bank, planted out here in this uncomely spot for the 
convenience of the huge factories which dominated the 
neighbourhood. 

With my hand upon the swing door I glanced 
around. My luck was certainly in, for there w r as still 
not even a child to be seen. Inside, behind the counter, 
both the manager and his clerk were busy counting out 
bundles of treasury notes. They looked up enquiringly 
as I entered. Strangers in such a place, I imagine, 
were rare. Such a stranger as I was a rarity which 
they were never likely to experience again in this 
world. 

My plans were cut and dried to the last detail. I 
wasted no time in any silly attempt to hold the place 
up, but, brief though the seconds were, it was amazing 
how my brain chronicled a host of varying impressions. 
I saw the bland smile fade from the manager’s lips, I 
saw the dawn of suspicion in his eyes, the gleam of 
terror followed by the spasm of pain as I shot him 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 55 

through the right shoulder blade. His assistant had 
not the courage of a rabbit. White-faced, gasping for 
mercy, he stood there with his hands above his head and 
his knees shaking. I am convinced that if I had left 
him alone for another five seconds, he would have col¬ 
lapsed hopelessly without any interference on my part. 
I was not able to take risks, however, so leaning over I 
struck him on the point of the jaw. He fell in a 
crumpled heap behind the counter. I then helped my¬ 
self to seven thousand pounds odd in bank and treasury 
notes, and in about a minute and a half after I had 
entered the bank, I strolled back again the way I had 
come. 

At the corner of the street, I looked back. There 
were no signs of life about the bank, no one apparently 
on his way towards it. There were a few children 
playing about the unoccupied houses, and behind the 
windows of the cottages in the street where I now was 
were women intent upon various domestic duties. One 
woman was scolding her child just outside the door. 
She glanced at me only in the most perfunctory fashion. 
My Panama hat was pulled well over my head, a reason¬ 
able precaution with the sun at its greatest power. A 
man was bending over the open bonnet of the Ford car 
which I had left at the corner. I passed him by with¬ 
out a glance and stepped into the grey touring car 
behind. The engine was purring gently, the chauffeur’s 
fingers were upon the gear handle as I appeared. I 
took my place by the side of Janet, unrecognisable 
beneath her motor veil, and we glided off northwards. 
There were no signs of any disturbance as we shot into 


56 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

the broad main street. We gathered speed up the 
Chapeltown Hill and very soon we were racing for 
Scotland. 

Janet passed me a silver flask soon after we had 
passed out of the suburbs. I shook my head. 

“ You know that I never take anything until one 
o’clock, ” I reminded her. “ Why should I drink in the 
middle of the morning? ” 

I fancied that I caught through her veil a gleam 
of that almost worshipping fidelity which had led me 
to trust this woman as I had trusted no other in my 
life. . 

“ What a nerve! ” she murmured. 

“ I have no nerves, ” I rejoined, “ neither have I any 
fear. By this time you ought to realise it. 99 

“ All went smoothly ? 99 she asked. 

“ Absolutely according to programme, A chance 
customer would have been the only possible disturb¬ 
ance, and the position of the bank rendered that 
unlikely. 99 

“ What happened ? 99 

“ I shot the manager through the shoulder blade, ” 
I told her. “ The heart would probably have been 
safer, but the blinds of the bank were all drawn to 
keep out the sun, and my Panama w r as as good as a 
mask. His clerk was almost dead from fear before I 
touched him. I had not to waste a bullet there. 99 

“ And how much ? ” she enquired. 

“ Only just over seven thousand pounds, 99 I ad¬ 
mitted. 44 It seems a pitiful amount for so much plan¬ 
ning and risk. Still, something had to be done. 99 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 57 


We were up on a stretch of moorland now, well away 
from curious eyes. Janet and I were busy for some 
ten minutes, making three parcels of my stock of notes. 
Then she looked at the map. 

44 Arthington should be the next village, 99 she re¬ 
marked. 

I nodded. We descended a steep hill. Halfway 
up the next we came upon a small motor car, drawn 
up by the side of the road, the bonnet thrown open, 
its owner seated in the dust. The latter rose to his 
feet as we approached. I handed him the black bag 
which I had been carrying, in which was my Panama 
hat and one of the packets of notes. He raised his cap 
nonchalantly. 

44 According to plan? 55 he asked. 

44 According to plan , 99 I replied. 

We sped on for another twenty miles, when almost 
a similar occurrence happened. A man seated by the 
side of his motor bicycle rose to his feet as we ap¬ 
proached. I handed him the second packet. 

44 All well ? 99 he enquired. 

44 Perfectly, ” I assured him. 

We were off again in less -than ten seconds. Our 
third stop was at the top of a hill forty miles farther 
north, after we had partaken of a picnic luncheon in 
the car. A man was seated motionless in a large 
touring car headed in our direction. He held out his 
arm as we approached and glanced at his watch. 

u Wonderful ! 99 he murmured. 44 You are three 
minutes to the good. 99 

I handed him the third packet. He waved his hand 


58 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

and started up his engine. Soon we left him, a speck 
behind us. I leaned back and lit a cigarette. 

44 I have now,” I remarked, 44 only one anxiety. 99 

44 And that? 99 Janet enquired quickly. 

44 About the greens at Kinbrae, ” I confided. “I met 
a man last year who told me that they were apt to get 
dried up.” 

She smiled. 

44 We had plenty of rain last month, ” she reminded 
me. 44 1 thought you were going to speak of our 
friend. ” 

I shook my head. 

44 Norman Greyes is in Norway, ” I told her. 44 1 
am not sure , 99 I went on, after a moment’s hesitation, 
44 whether I do not sometimes regret it. 99 

44 Why?” 

I looked out across the heather-clad moor to where 
rolling masses of yellow gorse seemed to melt into the 
blue haze. It was a very wonderful day and a very 
wonderful country into which we were speeding. 

44 Norman Greves has made life inconvenient for us 

•j 

for several years, 99 I said. 44 One of our best men has 
had to devote the whole of his time to watching him. 
We had been obliged to stay away from places which I 
very much wanted to visit. He has that absurd gift — 
he always had — of being able to connect a particular 
undertaking with a particular person. For that reason 
we have had to remain idle until we are practically 
paupers. When we have paid the expenses of this 
coup, and paid the staff, there will be barely enough 
left to keep us until Christmas. If we could get 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 5$ 


rid of Norman Greyes, we could seek wider fields.” 

“ Why not? ” she asked indifferently. “ He is only a 
man like the others. ” 

I pretended to be deep in thought. As a matter of 
fact, I was studying Janet. No creature or servant 
in this world could render such faithful service as she 
has rendered me, yet I am one of those persons gifted 
with instincts. I know that she has a strange mind, 
a strange, tumultuously passionate nature. I have so 
far been the man of her life. If it were not I, I some¬ 
times wonder whether it might not be Norman Greyes. 

We were to have one tense few minutes before we 
reached our stopping place for the night. We had just 
passed through a small town, and our silent chauffeur 
was preparing to let out his engine again, when we 
were confronted by what was, under the circumstances, 
a very sinister sight. Two men on bicycles, approach¬ 
ing us, dismounted and stood in the middle of the road 
with outstretched hands. The sun, even in the dis¬ 
tance, flashed upon their uniforms. We realised at 
once that they were policemen. The chauffeur half- 
turned towards me. 

“What shall you do?” Janet demanded. 

“ Do ? ” I replied. “ Why, the natural thing, of 
course. All this is provided for. Oliver, ” I added, 
leaning forward, “ those policemen seem to want to 
speak to us. Pull up. ” 

We came to a standstill a yard or two away from 
them. The larger of the two men, who wore the uniform 
of a sergeant, made a solemn and portentous approach. 


60 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ Good afternoon, Sergeant, ” I said. “I hope that 
we are not in trouble? ” 

He looked at me as he might have done at a man 
whose hands were dripping with the blood of his best 
friend. 

“ It’s your number plate, sir, ” he announced. 
“ They telephoned us through from Ripon to stop your 
car and call your attention to it. ” 

“ What is wrong with my number plate? ” I asked. 

“ Why, you’ve been driving where they’ve watered 
the roads freely, ” the sergeant pointed out, “ and it’s 
mudded it up entirely. There’s no one can read a num¬ 
ber of it. ” 

I felt Janet’s fingers clutch mine, and they were as 
cold as ice. It was not a moment which I myself for¬ 
got, less for its significance than for its effect upon 
my companion. The chauffeur, the police sergeant and 
I solemnly inspected the number plate, and the former, 
with a duster from his tool chest, carefully rubbed it 
clean. 

“ That will be all right now, Sergeant ? ” I enquired. 

“ That will be quite all right, sir, ” he admitted, 
taking off his helmet and wiping the perspiration from 
his forehead. “It’s a warm day, this, for they 
bicycles. ” 

It was my policy not to overdo the matter, and in¬ 
deed it was not necessary, for the man’s eyes glistened 
as I deposited a couple of half-crowns in his hand. 

“ I am sorry to have given you this trouble, ” I said. 
“ We tourists are proverbially thoughtless about our 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 61 

number plates. I hope you will accept this and have 
a drink with me. 55 

“ We will that, sure, sir, ” the Sergeant promised, 
saluting first me and then Janet. 44 Come along, 
Jock, ” he added, 44 we’ll pay a little visit to the Widow 
MacGill on the way back. ” 

So we drove off again northwards. My chauffeur 
was an elderly man, who has faced all that the world 
may hold of evil with me many a time, but his driving 
for the first few miles w r as erratic. Janet, I could see, 
although outwardly she had recovered herself, was on 
the point of hysterics. I settled myself down in my 
corner, adjusted my horn-rimmed spectacles, and drew 
from the pocket of the car a new half-crown book on 
the principles of golf, written by a late beginner. So 
we travelled until we reached the inn where we stayed 
for the night, and late on the afternoon of the follow¬ 
ing day we arrived at our destination. There was just 
a bare white house, a lodge, the gate of which was held 
open by a great, raw-boned gillie, miles of what seemed 
to be interminable moorland, and below, the sea. I 
looked around with satisfaction. 

44 You’re Sandy Mac Lane, the caretaker here? ” I 
asked, leaning out of the car. 

He made a noise which sounded like 44 Oo ay! ” 

44 Which w r ay might the golf links be?” I enquired. 
He pointed with a long and hairy forefinger. 

44 The club house is yonder,” he vouchsafed; 44 a 
step across the road is the fifteenth tee. ” 

I sighed with content. 


62 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

44 Come up to the house , 99 I ordered. 44 After tea I 
shall play a few holes. ” 


NORMAN GREYES 

My friend Rimmington called to see me on the night 
of my return from Norway. He looked around with 
an air of dismay at my various travelling parapher¬ 
nalia. 

44 So you’re really off, then? ” he remarked. 

44 On the contrary, I’ve just returned, ” I told him. 
44 It was too late in the season to do any good, and I 
made a mistake in changing my river. The whole 
thing was a frost. ” 

Rimmington sighed. 

44 Well, I’m glad to see you back, ” he declared, 
sinking into my easy-chair. 44 All the same, London in 
August isn’t exactly a Paradise 1 ” 

44 Tell me about Leeds?” I suggested. 44 To judge 
from the newspapers, you seem to be having a lot of 
trouble about a very simple case. ” 

Rimmington frowned. He was silent for several 
moments, and, glancing across at him, I noticed that 
he was pale and apparently out of sorts. 

44 1 think I’m stale, ” he confessed. 44 The Chief 
pretty well hinted the same thing, and worse, when I 
got back last night. I really dropped round to see 
whether you could help me. ” 

44 If I can, I will with pleasure, ” I promised him. 
44 You know that. ” 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 63 


u You read the bare account of the affair, of 
course, ” Rimmington went on. “ Two fairly credible 
witnesses deposed to seeing a man in a grey flannel 
suit, with a Panama hat pushed over his eyes, drive up 
in a Ford, leave it outside Bailey’s grocery stores, 
walk down the street and turn into the Boulevard 
where the bank is situated, exactly at the time that 
the robbery took place. Three women and two children 
saw him pass up the street two minutes later, and 
thirty seconds after that he crossed the street and 
entered Bailey’s grocery stores. The clerk who served 
him with some marmalade, tea and bacon saw him 
climb up into the Ford and drive away. The man was 
known at the shop as Ralph Roberson. There is no 
doubt that it was his car. Half-an-hour after the rob¬ 
bery, he was arrested at his house — he was cleaning 
the car at the time — and although he had changed 
his clothes, the light grey suit which he had recently 
worn was discovered in his bedroom, and the Panama 
hat, warm with perspiration, in a cupboard. His ex¬ 
cuse for changing his clothes was that he put on older 
things in which to clean the car, and his account of 
his morning was that he had driven straight up to 
Bailey’s Stores for some groceries, and straight back 
again. Two witnesses are ready to swear that they 
saw him get out of the Ford and go towards the bank; 
the grocer’s clerk, who served him, is absolutely cer¬ 
tain that he was in the shop within thirty seconds of the 
Ford pulling up outside, and that when he left he 
drove straight away. ” 

“What sort of a man is this Roberson? ” I asked. 


64 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 A man of bad character, ” was the prompt reply. 
44 He was once a bookmaker, but failed. He has been 
in prison for obtaining goods by false pretences, and 
there are half-a-dozen summonses for debt out against 
him at the present moment. The only little money he 
earns, nowadays, seems to be by acting as a book¬ 
maker’s tout. He knew the neighbourhood well, and 
has once been heard to remark upon the isolated posi¬ 
tion of the bank. In every respect he is just the man 
to have done it, and yet there are all my witnesses 
swearing to different things. Furthermore, he had 
scarcely a shilling in his pocket, and he confessed that 
he was going to try and sell the car that afternoon to 
raise a little money . 99 

44 It seems to me , 99 I admitted, 44 that you have been 
a little premature in framing your case against Mr. 
Ralph Roberson. 99 

44 So the magistrates thought , 99 Rimmington re¬ 
joined drily. 46 We managed to get two remands. 
This morning he was discharged. 99 

44 If the grocer’s assistant is telling the truth , 99 I 
remarked thoughtfully, 44 Roberson could not possibly 
have committed the robbery. What sort of a young 
man is the assistant? ” 

44 Highly respectable and very intelligent, ” Rim¬ 
mington replied. 44 It would be quite impossible at any 
time to shake his evidence. ” 

44 So much for Mr. Ralph Robertson, ” I said. 44 And 
now who else is there? ” 

44 That’s the difficulty, ” Rimmington confessed. 
44 One doesn’t know where to turn. The only other 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 65 

two people who were about the spot at the same mo¬ 
ment were a man and his wife touring up to Scotland 
in a big Daimler car. They stopped to make some pur¬ 
chases at Bailey’s Stores, but neither of them 
alighted. ” 

“ Any description of the man? ” I asked. 

“Yes, the grocer’s assistant who went out to take 
the order remembers him. He describes him as a 
sporting-looking gentleman wearing a brown alpaca 
dust coat and a grey Homburg hat. Such a person 
could not possibly have left the car and walked down 
the street without notice. ” 

“Any description of the woman? ” 

Rimmington shook his head. 

“To tell you the truth, ” he confessed, “ I didn’t 
ask for one. There were guns and cartridge magazines 
and golf clubs on the top of the car. The two were 
apparently motoring up to some place they had hired 
in Scotland. ” 

On the face of it, there seemed no possible connec¬ 
tion between these tourists and a local bank robbery. 
Yet the thought of them lingered obstinately in my 
mind. A man and a woman, a bank robbery, and the 
fact that I was supposed to be safe in Norway! I 
began to take up the pieces of the puzzle once more, 
and fit them in accordance to my own devices. 

“ You seem to have done everything possible, Rim¬ 
mington, ” I said at last, “ but I think, as my Norway 
trip has fallen flat, I shall go up to Scotland for a 
fortnight. Would you like me to call over at Leeds and 
see if I can pick up anything? ” 


66 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ Exactly what I hoped you would suggest, ” he 
confessed eagerly. “ I have brooded over the affair 
so long that I can think of nothing but the obvious 
side. The Chief will give you a letter to the Leeds 
people. Would you like me to come with you? ” 

I shook my head. 

“ Better not, ” I told him. “ Better for me to go 
as a stranger. ” 

That night I travelled down to Leeds. 

There was nothing about the neighbourhood which 
differed materially from Rimmington’s description. I 
paid a visit to the place at exactly the hour the rob¬ 
bery had been committed, walked from the grocery 
store to the bank, carefully timing myself, and made 
some triffling purchases inside the shop. The neigh¬ 
bourhood seemed to be thickly built over and populated 
in patches, but here and there were vacant lots. The 
land opposite the grocery stores was marked out for 
building, but operations as yet had not been begun. 
Later in the day, I tracked Roberson to ground in 
his favourite public-house. Choosing my opportunity, 
I addressed him. 

“ Are you the man whom the police made such 
idiots of themselves about in this bank robbery ? ” I 
asked. 

“ What the hell’s that to do with you? 99 he answered. 

His tone was truculent, but he obviously only needed 
humouring. 

“ Just this much,” I replied. “I am a journalist 
representing one of the picture papers. It would be 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 67 

worth a fiver to you if you would let me do a sketch 
of you. ” 

His manner changed at once. 

44 You don’t want an interview? ” 

44 Not likely, ” I assured him, commencing a rough 
sketch in a notebook which I had put into my pocket for 
that purpose. 44 I read the case myself. A fool could 
see that you had nothing to do with it. ” 

He stopped drinking and looked at me curiously. 

4 ‘If I were the police, ” I went on, u I should want 
to know a little more about the two tourists on their 
way to Scotland. ” 

44 Then you’re as big a fool as the police, ” he re¬ 
torted gruffly. 44 They hadn’t nothing to do with it. 
They were filling up with petrol and neither of them 
budged from the car. ” 

I smiled in a superior way and went on sketching. 
He watched me with thinly veiled anxiety. 

44 Toffs they were, ” he went on, 44 on their way up 
for a bit of sport. ” 

44 Maybe, ” I commented. 44 They didn’t seem in any 
hurry about it. ” 

44 What do you mean? ” 

44 1 don’t see why they stayed at the Queen’s two 
nights, ” I remarked. 

44 Who said they did? ” he demanded. 44 They stayed 
one night, and grumbled at having to do that. ” 

44 How do you know? ” I asked, looking up at him. 

44 1 spoke to the chauffeur, ” he replied sullenly. 
44 He told me my oil was leaking. ” 


68 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

I changed the subject, finished my ridiculous sketch, 
and handed over the five pounds. That night I caught 
the mail train to Scotland. 

It took me less than a week to discover the where¬ 
abouts of the man and the woman who I learned were 
passing under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Harold 
Grover. On the morning after my arrival at the very 
remote corner of Scotland where they had taken up 
their temporary abode, I committed an indiscretion. I 
donned a knickerbocker suit and set out for a tramp 
over the moors. I had just clambered up to the top of 
a little ridge overlooking the sea, when I came face to 
face with a little party ascending it from the other 
side. The little party consisted of the person I had 
known chiefly as Mr. Stanfield, his wife, a villainous- 
looking gillie, and two dogs. It was a curious moment, 
full of the suggestions of tragedy, afterwards ridicu¬ 
lous in its conventionalitv. I saw the flash of the man’s 
gun, and I saw the woman’s hand restrain him, hearc 
the single word whispered in his ear. I raised my cap, 
he followed suit. His gun hung idly under his arm. 
My hand was inside my breast pocket, clutching some¬ 
thing hard. 

“ What an extraordinary meeting!” Janet ex¬ 
claimed, with a faint smile. 44 So you sometimes take 
holiday also, Sir Norman? ” 

“ Sometimes, ” I admitted. 44 I came home unexpect¬ 
edly from Norway. I was disappointed in my fishing. ” 

44 Are you aweer that you’re trespassing, mon? ” the 
gillie demanded severely. 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 69 

44 I’m afraid I didn’t know it, ” I replied. “ There 
were no notices. ” 

“ It doesn’t matter, ” Janet intervened. 44 We hap¬ 
pen to be walking up a covey of birds this way. ” 

44 1 put nothing up, ” I assured them. 

44 They lie verra close hereabouts, ” the gillie ob¬ 
served. 44 We’ll take a little further sweep. ” 

44 How long are you staying in these parts, Sir Nor¬ 
man? ” Stanfield enquired. 

44 About a week, if I like the golf, ” I answered. 

44 I’ve taken the Lodge down there, ” he pointed out. 
44 Call and see us before you leave. ” 

44 Won’t you come and dine with us to-night? ” 
Janet invited, with a challenge in her eyes. 

I hesitated. The invitation appealed to me in one 
way as much as it repelled me in another. Stanfield 
watched me as though he were reading my thoughts. 

44 You need not take salt, ” he said grimly. 

44 I shall be delighted, ” I assented. 44 About eight 
o’clock, I suppose? ” 

44 Not 4 about,’ I implore you,” Janet answered 
earnestly. 44 Sandy shall catch you some trout this 
afternoon and they must be served to the second. Say 
a quarter to eight, please. ” 

44 1 will be punctual, ” I promised. 

I spent the afternoon wandering about the moor, 
inspecting the golf links and speaking on the tele¬ 
phone. Punctually at twenty minutes to eight I passed 
up the long, neglected drive and presented myself at 
the front door of the sombre-looking house. The sum- 


70 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

mons of a harsh bell was answered almost immediately 
by an immaculate butler. Janet, from the other end of 
the cool, white hall, came forward to meet me. Almost, 
simultaneously the gong rang, and a few minutes later 
we sat down to dinner in a quaint, octagonal room, 
with a dome-shaped ceiling of rough oak. The dinner 
was excellently cooked and served by the man-servant 
who had admitted me. The champagne was of an ex¬ 
cellent brand, and my host, with a twinkle in his eyes, 
called my attention to the fact that it was opened in 
my presence. As soon as the last course was concluded, 
Janet led the w r ay out on to the flagged terrace, where 
a table was already arranged with dessert and coffee. 
We sat in easy-chairs, gazing over a strip of moor¬ 
land away to the sea. The sun was behind us now, 
and the air deliciously cool. 

“ You are a brave man, Sir Norman, ” my hostess 
said abruptly. 

“ Why? ” I asked. 

“ You know — and you alone— that I once killed 
a man — although you don’t altogether know why, ” 
she went on softly. “ How do you know that I have not 
within me the makings of a modern Lucrezia? I have 
read quite a good deal about poisons — I may be said 
even to have studied the subject — and you have 
delivered yourself into my hands. ” 

“Why should you poison me? ” I argued. “ I will 
do both you and your husband the credit to believe 
that you don’t bear malice. Revenge is a senseless 
sentiment. As regards our last conflict, I probably 
prevented your drawing a matter of a hundred thou- 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 71 

sand pounds from the insurance company for the pre¬ 
tended loss of your necklace, but that was all in the 
day’s w T ork. I was paid to match my wits against 
yours, and I did it. There is no one particularly anx¬ 
ious to take proceedings against either of you for 
that little — error of judgment. ” 

My host leaned forward in his chair. His face was 
solemn and brooding, his gaze was hard and intent. 

44 You have things against me dating from before 
that, ” he said. 

I nodded. 

44 But I am in the same position as Scotland Yard, ” 
I reminded him. 44 For those things I have no case. For 
those misdemeanours of which I suspect you in the 
past, I could at the present moment go only so far as to 
procure a warrant charging you with feloniously 
wounding a police inspector. For the rest, I suspect 
but I have no proof. ” 

44 You suspect what? ” he asked. 

I shook my head. 

44 There are limits to my candour, ” I protested 
mildly. 44 You must admit that I am not secretive or 
unduly aloof, inasmuch as I dine at your table, discuss 
your peccadilloes and pass on, like an ordinary guest. 
What I may suspect in the past I keep to myself. I 
am your enemy and you know it. If it pays you to 
attempt to murder me, I imagine you will try. ” 

44 Janet would desert me if I did, ” he declared, with 
a grim smile. 44 She finds these little conferences with 
you so inspiring. ” 

She looked at me with that wonderful smile of hers. 


72 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

She was a little way behind a pillar and her face was 
hidden from her husband. 

“ I do not like to hear you say that we are enemies, 
she murmured. “ I would rather think that we are 
like the soldiers who fight in two opposing armies. We 
fight because it is our duty. So we are enemies because 
it is our duty. Even that does not interfere with per¬ 
sonal feelings . 99 

“ That is true, 99 I admitted carelessly. “ I could 
never absolutely dislike a man who played such good 
golf as your husband. ” 

“And what about me?” she demanded, with some 
simulated show of peevishness. 

“ You drive me to be obvious, ” I replied. “ No one 
could possibly dislike a person who contributed to the 
beauty of the world. ” 

She laughed softly. 

“ Why, you are a courtier, Sir Norman , :y she de¬ 
clared. “ Your compliments and the perfume of those 
roses and the flavour of the Benedictine are getting 
into my head. I begin to picture you as the serpent 
who has crawled into this Utopian Paradise. 99 

“ Talking about golf, ” her husband intervened in a 
harsh tone, “what about a game, Sir Norman? Will 
you play me to-morrow morning? ” 

“ With pleasure, 99 I assented. 

“ At ten o’clock? 99 

“ I will be in the clubhouse, ” I promised him. 

“ We go to bed up here, ” he remarked, “ practically 
with the sun. 99 

I rose to my feet. The hint was unmistakable. I 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 73 

took my leave, and as I walked down the drive, with the 
yellow moon shining through the sparse trees, I felt the 
ghosts of tragedy gathering. 

At five minutes to ten on the following morning, I 
w T atched Mr. James Stanfield push open his private gate 
leading on to the links, and stroll across towards the 

f 

clubhouse. I waved my hand and stepped back into 
the locker room. Three or four men in tweeds and 
golfing outfit were waiting there. In five minutes my 
prospective opponent entered. In five seconds the 
handcuffs were upon his wrist and one of the three 
apparent golfers had the matter in hand. 

“ You are charged, ” he said, “ with feloniously 
wounding William Harmell, manager, and John Stokes, 
clerk, of Brown’s Bank in the Menwood Road, Leeds, 
and with stealing from the premises the sum of seven 
thousand pounds. I should recommend you to come 
with us quietly and to reserve for the present any¬ 
thing you may have to say. ” 

Looking at him as he stood leaning a little against 
his own locker, I could have sworn that there was no 
manner of change in the face or expression of my 
enemy. He ignored the others and looked across at 
me. 

66 This is your doing? ” he asked. 

“ Altogether, ” I admitted. 

“ You knew it — last night? ” 

“ It was you who reminded me that I need not take 
salt, ” I replied. 

He nodded. 


74 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ The trick is to you, 99 he confessed. “ I am ready* 
gentlemen. 99 

He walked quietly out to a waiting motor car, with 
a burly policeman on either side of him, and a very 
important man from Scotland Yard in the party. 
Rimmington and I were left behind and presently we 
essayed a round of golf. All the time my eyes kept 
straying towards the Lodge. No sign, however, came 
from there. 

“ I still , 99 Rimmington remarked, as he waited for a 
few minutes on the tenth tee, “ don’t quite understand 
how you tumbled to this affair so quickly. ” 

“ It was quite easy when you once admit the possi¬ 
bility of the occupants of the Daimler car being con¬ 
cerned, 99 I replied. “ Of course, Roberson was in it 
up to the eyes. It was Stanfield who drove up in 
Roberson’s Ford and went direct to the bank. The 
Daimler car was already there, containing Janet Stan¬ 
field and Roberson, wearing a grey Homburg hat and 
a linen duster. The chauffeur brought into the store a 
small order which the grocer’s assistant packed and 
took out. The chauffeur was taking advantage of the 
delay to fill up with petrol. The moment Stanfield 
descended from the Ford and made his way to the bank, 
Roberson slipped off his linen duster, produced a 
Panama hat which he pulled over his eyes, and made 
his purchases in the shop. He came out just as Stan¬ 
field reappeared and drove the Ford away. Stanfield 
just stepped into the Daimler, put on his linen duster 
and grey Homburg hat, and off they started. The idea 
was to confuse, and at first it succeeded. The whole 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 75 


affair was ingenious, from the selection of that parti¬ 
cular bank, which is wickedly isolated, to the exact 
location of the Daimler car, which made any one on 
the off side almost invisible. ” 

“It’s pretty generous of you to let me take the credit 
of this, ” Rimmington remarked. 

44 If Stanfield turns out to be Pugsley, and Pugsley 
the man I believe him to be , 99 I said, 44 I shall need no 
other reward than the joy of having brought him to 
book. 99 

44 Do you believe him to be Michael Sayers ? 99 Rim¬ 
mington asked. 

44 1 am absolutely certain of it, ” I answered. 

We completed our round, lunched and played 
again. There came no sign from the Lodge. Some¬ 
how or other, the silence seemed to me ominous. To¬ 
wards evening I began to get uneasy. Just as we 
were sitting down to dinner, I was fetched to the 
telephone. 

44 Inspector McCall speaking, 99 the voice I heard de¬ 
clared. 44 Are you Sir Norman Greyes? ” 

44 Yes , 99 I answered. 

44 Have you heard the news ? ” 

44 1 have heard no particular news since early this 
morning, ” I replied. 

44 Stanfield escaped eleven miles from here, 55 the 
inspector declared gloomily. 

44 Escaped? Ridiculous ! 99 I exclaimed. 

44 He did it, anyhow. He shot both his guards with 
an automatic pistol fixed in the sole of one foot and 
worked with the toe of the other. Mr. Gorman from 


76 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Scotland Yard is seriously wounded, and one of the 
others is shot in the leg. Stanfield then threatened the 
driver until he released him from the handcuffs and 
took him to within a mile of a railway station. There 
he tied the man up, drove the car on himself and dis¬ 
appeared. So far we have no news. ” 

I could make no intelligible reply. I muttered some¬ 
thing to the effect that Rimmington and I would come 
on to the police station the first thing in the morning. 
Then I walked outside, a little giddy, sick at heart, 
furious with myself and Fate. I stood looking towards 
the Lodge until at last I yielded to an irresistible im¬ 
pulse. I hastened across the few yards of heather- 
grown common, crossed the road, made my way up the 
straggling avenue and rang the great front-door bell. 
There was a suggestion of emptiness about its rankling 
echoes, no sound of any one moving or stirring within. 
I was inclined to laugh at myself for my pains. I was 
indeed on the point of turning away when the great 
door swung silently open. Janet stood there, looking 
out at me. 

I freely admit that I lost my nerve. I lost my poise, 
and with it all the gifts which enable a man to face an 
exceptional situation. For this woman showed no 
signs of any mental disturbance. I had never seen her 
look more beautiful. She wore a loose white gown, 
open at the throat and tied with a girdle at the waist. 
Her hair shone like burnished copper, her eyes were 
almost fiercely yet softly bright. She moved away from 
the door. 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 77 

44 Come in, ” she invited. 44 1 have been expecting 
you. 99 

Our footsteps awakened strange echoes in the hall. 
She led the way into the sitting room which opened on 
to the terrace, and sank back on to the divan, where 
apparently she had been resting. 

44 Judas ! ” she murmured. 

44 You know, then? ” I demanded harshly. 

44 Everything — even the last little episode. What 
fools you policemen are ! 99 

44 He isn’t safe yet, ” I muttered. 

She laughed mockingly. 

44 I worry no more about him, ” she declared. 44 It is 
not an equal struggle. I worry only about myself. ” 

44 Alone — here! ” I echoed, dimly conscious of the 
fact that I had been aware of it all the time. 

She nodded. 

44 Harding, our butler-chauffeur and confederate, 
has taken the car — where you can guess. Our gillie 
broke his leg this morning and has gone to hospital. I 
am not afraid of burglars but I am terrified of mice, 
and the place is overrun with them. Also, I simply 
loathe the idea of having to get up and make my own 
coffee in the morning. ” 

I rose to my feet. 

44 There are empty rooms at the Dormy House, ” I 
told her, 44 where you could obtain service and be made 
quite comfortable. I am going back now. Shall I 
bespeak one for you? ” 

44 You would really have me there , 99 she asked cur- 


78 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

iously, 44 under the same roof as your august and 
respectable self? ” 

44 Why not? ” 

44 The wife of a famous criminal , 99 she reminded 
me, 44 the wife of the man whom you have betrayed! 
You and I share a secret, too, don’t we? Would you 
vouch for my — respectability? ” 

I moved a step towards her. Her eyes were filled 
with a mingled light, a light of allurement and cruelty. 
Her lips were moist and quivering — was it with anger? 
A long, bare arm was withdrawn from behind her head. 
Then a voice fell upon the throbbing silence like a 
douche of cold water. 

44 Hands up — like lightning! ” 

I obeyed. I recognised the voice of the man in 
Harding’s livery. It was Stanfield who had crept in 
upon us, unheard. 

44 A mixture of Lothario and Inspector Bucket ! 99 
he mocked. 44 Any prayers to say?” 

44 If you are going to shoot, let’s have it over 
quickly, ” I answered. 

The woman slipped from the divan and stood between 
us. 

44 Don’t be absurd, ” she said to the newcomer. 44 We 
couldn’t afford to part with Sir Norman. Life would 
be too dull without him. Put him on parole. He is 
perfectly trustworthy. ” 

Stanfield lowered his pistol. 

44 You are right, ” he admitted. 44 Take your choice, 
Greyes — twelve hours’ silence or Eternity. ” 

44 1 will be silent for twelve hours, ” I promised. 


THE MENWOOD ROAD BANK ROBBERY 79 

He pointed to the door. 

44 I cannot have the last few hours I may ever spend 
with my wife, disturbed, ” he said. 44 Kindly leave us. ” 

I went without a backward glance. I opened and 
closed the front door and walked down the straight 
avenue. In the woods beyond, the owls were hooting. 
Bats flew through the twilight before me, and a quarter 
of the yellow moon showed behind the hills. I realised 
all these things dimly. There was a mist before my 
eyes, a cloud befogging my brain. For those few mo¬ 
ments, Stanfield’s escape, the steadiness of his auto¬ 
matic pointed directly at my heart, were vague memor¬ 
ies only. I was angry and humiliated. I was filled 
with a man’s hatred of his own weakness. 

Rimmington was sitting in the porch, smoking, when 
I got back. He moved his head towards the Lodge. 
It was obvious from his dejection that he too had heard 
from McCall. 

44 What do you think about taking a look around 
there? ” he suggested. 

I think that, if anything, I went beyond the obliga¬ 
tions of my parole. 

44 Quite useless, ” I replied tersely. 44 Let’s have a 
game of billiards and try and forget the damned 
business. ” 


CHAPTER IV 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR EUTARDE 

MICHAEL 

It was perhaps the greatest surprise of my life when 
the trim, benevolent-looking gentleman with the red 
ribbon in his buttonhole, who was sharing my seat in 
the Jardins des Invalides, suddenly addressed me by 
name. For over a year — ever since, in fact, my escape 
from the English police in Scotland — I had been en¬ 
gaged in the strenuous task of founding and cultivat¬ 
ing a new identity. My name was Mr. John D. Har¬ 
mon. I was a retired dry-goods dealer from Provi¬ 
dence, U.S.A., and I spent most of my time at the 
Grand Hotel, talking with compatriots and playing 
dominoes and billiards. A trip across the ocean, a few 
days spent in Providence, and a general knowledge of 
the structure of American life had been all the actual 
training necessary. I had a circle of friends willing 
to vouch for me, whom I could have increased almost 
ad lib; a dossier accepted and pigeonholed by the 
police; a general appearance which, thanks to my man¬ 
ner of dressing, my horn-rimmed eyeglasses, my short 



THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 81 

beard and moustache, would have left me unrecognised 
even under the scrutiny of the great Sir Norman 
Greyes himself. I had not even heard the sound of one 
of those names under which I had passed in England 
for many months. It came upon me, therefore, as a 
thunderclap when my companion, to all appearance a 
person of the upper and official classes, whom I had 
noticed many mornings when strolling in the gardens, 
deliberately went behind the many aliases of which I 
had made use at different times and addressed me by 
m}' baptismal name. 

44 A little chilly for April, is it not, Monsieur Michael 
Sayers? Yet the Spring marches well. You perceive 
that the chestnut buds are already waxy. 99 

I turned a little towards him, my right hand steal¬ 
ing towards my pocket. He bore my scrutiny without 
flinching. 

44 By what name did you address me, Monsieur? ” I 
asked. 

44 By your own, ” was the courteous reply. 44 You 
have borne many others, have you not, Monsieur, yet 
between us the real one is perhaps best. ” 

He was of the French police, I decided, and my 
hand stole a little deeper into my pocket. My mind 
began to contemplate the chances of successful escape. 
There were not many people about, and the nearest 
Metropolitan station was close at hand. 

44 Permit me to offer you my card, ” my companion 
proceeded, drawing an elegant case from his pocket 
and handing me a thin strip of ivory pasteboard. I 


82 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

read it carefully. My eyes, however, were watching for 
any movement on his part: 

Monsieur Gaston Lefevre 
Agent de Compagnie d'Assurances 
13 Rue Scribe 

“ That, Monsieur,” my companion confessed, “ is 
not my name. ” 

“ Indeed? ” I muttered. 

“ It is an identity, 99 he continued, “ which I have 
fixed upon the little world in which I spend the greater 
part of my time, a name under which I have earned a 
certain reputation, a certain social standing. But it is 
not my own. I was christened Paul and my surname is 
Gont. ” 

“*Paul Gont? 99 I repeated incredulously. 

“ I am indeed he, Monsieur , 99 was the convincing 
reply. 

My fingers once more gripped the butt of the weapon 
from which they had been momentarily withdrawn. 

“ It was reported, 99 I said, watching him steadily, 
“ that Paul Gont had joined the secret police of 
France. 99 

A flicker of annoyance passed across my compan¬ 
ion’s face. His expression was no longer so benefi¬ 
cent. 

“ If that were true, Monsieur , 99 he rejoined, “ I 
should by now have become their chief. I address you, 
believe me, as one master craftsman to another. ” 

“ Why do you imagine that my name is Michael 
Sayers?” I asked cautiously. 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 83 


He smiled. 

44 I take a keen interest , 99 he confided, 44 in the ex¬ 
ploits of my — shall I say fellow adventurers? — in 
other countries. I read with much amusement — not 
unmingled, believe me, sir, with admiration, of your 
escape from the police in Scotland, and the arrival of 
Mr. John D. Harmon from Providence here shortly 
afterwards also interested me. There is little that goes 
on in Paris of which I do not hear. ” 

44 You have your own secret police? 99 
44 Certainly, Monsieur, 99 he assented, 44 but they 
work for me and not for the law. ” 

He lit a cigarette from a handsome gold case which 
he passed courteously on to me. With his hands upon 
the carved top of his malacca cane, he gazed benignly 
around. 

44 It is indeed a spring morning, ” he declared. 
“ There is a perfume of lilac in the air. Even the hard 
faces of the flower sellers are softened by the sunshine. 
And you observe the little nurse girl over there, my 
friend, how wistfully she looks around, and how co¬ 
quettish the little ribbon at her throat? Even we 
elders- 99 

44 1 should be glad to know, 99 I interrupted, 44 why 
you addressed me as Michael Sayers ? ” 

44 It was a risk, I imagine, ” my companion admitted. 
44 You are reputed to be a man who shoots from his 
pocket with great skill. However, remind yourself 
that I have trusted you with a secret at least as amaz¬ 
ing as your own. ” 



84 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


My hand came out from my pocket. The man in¬ 
deed spoke truthfully. The name of Paul Gont was 
even better known in the history of crime than the name 
of Michael Sayers. 

66 You had some reason for making yourself known 
to me? ” I queried. 

He bowed. 

“ Apart from the pleasure of meeting so dis¬ 
tinguished a confrere, ” he said, “ there is a scheme in 
which I am at present interested, in which it might 
amuse you to take part. You are probably a little 
wearied by the idleness which must go with the building 
up of a new identity. ” 

“ Let me hear about it, ” I begged. 

My companion brushed the ash from his trouser leg 
and rose to his feet. 

“ Let us walk to my office, ” he suggested. “ We will 
see whether any fresh business has come in. After¬ 
wards, we will, if you choose, lunch together at some 
discreet place. How the police of the world would 
tremble if they saw our heads together over a bottle 
of wine ! 99 

I could not altogether discard my suspicions, for it 
seemed incredible that this man was really the daring 
criminal whom the police of three countries had sought 
for many years in vain. Nothing in the least disturb¬ 
ing happened, however. We visited a reputable and 
quietly handsome suite of offices in the Rue Scribe, 
where my companion conversed for several minutes on 
various matters of business with his clerks, gave some 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 85 


general instructions and signed his letters. After¬ 
wards we walked across to the Place Gaillon, where my 
host selected a lunch with the skill of the born gourmet. 
He refused to allow me an aperitif but ordered the 
choicest of wine. In the course of our meal he asked 
me a most surprising question. 

44 Do you hear frequently from your friend, Sir Nor¬ 
man Greyes ? ” 

44 If I heard from him at all, ” I replied, 44 I imagine 
that the situation would be, to say the least of it, pre¬ 
carious. What do you know about him?” 

My companion smiled. 

44 I had a little affair of the same nature,” he con¬ 
fided, 44 with the sub-Chief of the Police here. Francois 
Dumesnil, his name was. ” 

44 And where is he now? ” I asked. 

44 He disappeared, ” was the considered reply. 44 A 
great many people disappear in Paris. It was a battle 
of wits between us, and I was almost sorry when the 
end came. Self-preservation, however, makes stren¬ 
uous demands upon one sometimes. ” 

44 Concerning Norman Greyes?” I persisted. 

44 Forgive me, I wandered a little from the point. I 
mentioned Norman Greyes’s name because he is in 
Paris. ” 

44 In Paris ? ” I exclaimed. 

44 He arrived by the Calais train last evening. I 
fancy that later on in the day he may probably stroll 
into the American Bar at the Grand Hotel. ” 

The news was in its way terrible, yet I could think 
of no broken link in the chain of incidents connecting 


86 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


my new life. If Norman Greyes were indeed upon my 
track, he was possessed of gifts for which I had never 
given him credit. Either that, or there had been 
treachery in the one direction where I knew no treach¬ 
ery was possible. 

44 1 take it, ” I said slowly, 44 your suggestion is that 
Norman Greyes has discovered my whereabouts? ” • 

44 1 will be perfectly frank, ” was my companion’s 
prompt avowal. 44 1 do not know that. I am as anx¬ 
ious to discover the truth as you are. There is a dis¬ 
tinct possibility that Norman Greyes has come over 
here in connection with another affair in which I am 
indirectly interested. If that should be so, his coming 
may be, so far as you are concerned, only a coincidence. 
I have a proposition to make to you. Take a taxicab 
and drive out to Versailles for the afternoon. On your 
way back, stop at the Taverne Bertain, near the Ar- 
menonville. I will meet you there at seven o’clock. 
By that time I shall know. I propose a perfectly fair 
bargain to you. If he is here on your business, I will 
assist you to escape. If he is interested in the other 
little matter I spoke of, I shall claim your help. ” 

44 It is a bargain, ” I promised. 

44 So to our chicken, ” my companion murmured, 
eyeing with approval the dish which had been extended 
towards him. 

It was about half-past five that afternoon when I 
dismissed my taxi and seated myself at one of the small 
tables under the trees outside the Taverne Bertain. 
The chairs were set far enough back to avoid the dust, 
but commanded a pleasant view of the constant stream 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 87 

of passing vehicles. I ordered a glass of tea with 
a slice of lemon, a packet of Caporal cigarettes, and 
settled down to one of my favourite tasks — watching 
my fellow creatures. Every variety of the human 
race was in evidence, riding in every description of 
carriage: the sublimely insolent Parisian beauty with 
her cavalier of the moment, she the last word in ele¬ 
gance and perfumes, he almost apish in his sartorial 
vanity; the shopkeeper and his family; the prosperous 
merchant with his richly dressed wife; the man of 
serious affairs, generally with a comely companion. 
So they passed on, their momentary quest of fresh air 
an obvious hiatus in the greater and more strenuous 
pursuit of what for them meant life. A rabble, I told 
myself a little contemptuously. Not one of them had 
realised the supreme joy of existence. 

It was as though Fate had suddenly decided to deal 
my philosophy a mortal blow. The thing which I 
should have deemed impossible was there before me. In 
a handsome limousine car, traveling slowly in the 
trail of other vehicles, appeared my enemy, Norman 
Greyes — and by his side Janet. He wore a light grey 
suit and a Homburg hat; his long, lean face seemed as 
sombre as ever. Janet was talking whilst he listened — 
talking of something, it seemed, more important than 
the idle flotsam of the moment. The car passed on. 
I remained seated in my chair. I do not think that I 
had turned a hair, yet an icy hand seemed to be grip¬ 
ping my heart. I had a moment’s wild and savage 
desire to throw my glass at a thrush hopping con¬ 
tentedly around me. 


88 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


A quietly appointed electric brougham turned in at 
the entrance to the cafe, and the man who had intro¬ 
duced himself to me as Gaston Lefevre, descended. He 
was looking very spick and span, dressed with the 
utmost care and apparently fresh from the barber’s. 
He approached and seated himself by my side. 

44 You have self-control, my friend, ” he observed, 
44 but perhaps you did not believe your eyes. ” 

44 My eyes are the only things in this world which 
I do absolutely trust, ” I answered coldly. 

My Companion stroked his grey imperial. 

44 I will drink absinthe to-day, Francois, ” he told 
the bowing waiter. 44 See that it is made as I like it. 
Come, my friend, ” he added, <4 throw away your 
wishy-washy tea and join me. ” 

I shook my head. 

44 Alcohol is not one of the necessities of life with 
me, ” I said. 44 It stimulates some, I suppose. It 
merely depresses me. Tell me what you know about the 
coming of this man GreyesP ” 

44 In the first place, then, ” Lefevre announced pleas¬ 
antly, as he helped himself to one of my Caporals and 
lit it, 44 let me reassure you. Greyes is not in Paris 
on your account. ” 

44 And his companion? ” 

44 For the moment I am puzzled, ” was the frank con¬ 
fession. 44 1 can tell you this, however. Your wife 
was sent for according to my instructions. I know 
very little about her, it is true, but I have agents in 
London who keep me well-informed as to what goes on 
on your side of the Channel, and, from certain things 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 89 


I have heard, I came to the conclusion that she was 
the one person who could bring to a successful issue 
the little affair which I shall presently propose to you. ” 
44 You seem to be taking things rather for granted,” 
I reminded him. 

44 Your cooperation is a certainty, ” he replied, with 
a smile. 44 There will be half a million francs for you, 
and you must be getting short of money. Further¬ 
more, by a very pleasing coincidence, the brains of the 
other side are controlled by your ancient enemy. ” 

44 The scheme is already commended to me, ” I ad¬ 
mitted. 44 Nevertheless, expound it. ” 

My companion glanced around as though to drink 
in the pleasant spring air and to bask in the warm 
sunshine. He drew a little sigh of content. All the 
tables around us were empty. 

44 1 will tell you a curious story, ” he proposed. 


NORMAN GREYES 

I celebrated my return to England and civilisation 
by a stroll down Bond Street on the morning after 
my arrival. A light but gusty wind was blowing, 
fleecy fragments of white clouds were being driven 
across the blue sky. The occasional sunshine was 
deliciously warm, the air was full of perfume from the 
florists’ shops and from the flower-sellers’ baskets at 
the corners of the streets. After two years’ absence, 
it was like a new city to me. I met a few acquaint¬ 
ances and exchanged greetings with a couple of 


90 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


friends. Then, at the corner of Conduit Street, I came 
face to face with Janet Stanfield. 

We stopped as though by common consent, and the 
civilisation by which we were surrounded seemed to 
fall away. The last time I had thought of her was 
when I had lain on the edge of a windy precipice in 
northwestern India, fastened by my belt to the roots of 
a stunted shrub for safety, with a camp fire throwing 
strange and lurid lights into the black gulf below, and 
my little corps of guides in their picturesque costume 
murmuring low chants after their evening meal. In 
that eternal silence, the woman’s inscrutable face, her 
cold yet seeking eyes, the constant invitation of her 
reluctant lips had held and filled my thoughts. Sleep 
had come only with the pink dawn, and a troubled sleep 
at that. Now I was face to face with her, unchanged, 
with the same riddle in her eyes and smiling lips. 

“ Welcome home, Sir Norman Greyes, ” she said. 

“ Thank you, ” I replied. “ I only arrived last 
night. ” 

She looked at me critically. 

6/6 A most becoming shade of brown, ” she com¬ 
mented. “ And you are thinner, too. Have you been 
going through hardships ? ” 

“ None but those I have sought, ” I assured her. 
“ I was in Mesopotamia for eight months, and in India 
most of the rest of the time. ” 

“ Big-game shooting, the papers said, ” she con¬ 
tinued. “ Tell me, my enemy, was it as interesting as 
man-hunting? ” 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 91 

44 Each has its thrill, ” I replied, 44 but you must 
remember that I long ago ceased to be a professional 
hunter of men. 99 

She smiled. 

44 So that is why you have let my husband alone? ” 

44 It was not my affair to search for him. That was 
a matter for the authorities. If my help is sought in 
solving the mystery of a crime, I am generally pre¬ 
pared to do my best. Otherwise, I do not interfere. 
You have news of him? ” 

She laughed bitterly. 

44 Since he left the Lodge that night, ” she replied, 
44 and you kicked your heels over at the Dormy House 
because of your parole, I have neither seen nor heard of 
him. ” 

44 Do you mean that? 99 

She nodded. 

44 Scotland Yard , 99 she declared, 44 has not imagi¬ 
nation enough to juggle with facts, but as regards de¬ 
tail its myrmidons are wonderful. I think that I was 
watched every day up to the end of at least the first 
year. Wherever my husband may be, he will not ap¬ 
proach me until it is safe. ” 

44 And when it is safe? ” I ventured. 

44 1 shall go to him, I suppose, ” she answered. 

I suddenly realised with a little shock that she was 
plainly, almost sha,bbily dressed. The undefinable ele¬ 
gance of her still remained, she was still distinct from 
all other women, but she owed nothing to her clothes. 
She read my thoughts in most disturbing fashion. 

44 A terrible neighbourhood, this, to frequent in 


92 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

one’s last year’s garments, ” she observed, smiling. “ I 
was just thinking that I should like a black and white 
check tailored suit. Would you like to buy me one, 
Sir Norman? You really ought to, you know. We 
made terribly little out of that Menwood Street Bank 
affair, owing to your flash of inspiration. ” 

“ I admit the liability, ” I replied. “ Which estab¬ 
lishment shall we patronise? ” 

She shrugged her shoulders. 

66 At heart, I believe that I am an honest woman, ” 
she sighed. “ I cannot bear the thought of your pay¬ 
ing out notes for the adornment of my person. You 
shall give me lunch instead. For all that you know, 
I may be as short of food as I am of clothes. I am 
certainly very hungry. ” 

We turned towards Regent Street and lunched in a 
restaurant of bygone fame, half bourgeois, half Bo¬ 
hemian. She would tell me nothing of her manner of 
life or of her abode, yet somehow or other I fancied, 
reading between the lines, that life had become some¬ 
thing of a struggle for her. She asked me deliberately 
for my address, but refused me hers. She angled for 
another invitation, but shook her head when I proffered 
it. If ever she had been in earnest in her life, she was 
in earnest when we said good-by. 

“ These meetings with you, ” she declared, “ stimu¬ 
late me more than I can tell you, but they leave some¬ 
thing behind which I cannot define. I do not think that 
I will dine with you, Sir Norman — not just yet, at 
any rate. ” 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 93 

She glanced at her watch and hurried off. I had an 
idea that she was returning to some daily task. I 
called at my club, talked for an hour or two with some 
friends, and in due course made my way back to my 
rooms. I was restless and ridiculously disturbed. It 
was the most accursed stroke of ill-luck that I should 
have met with this woman on the very day after my 
return. Fortunately, distraction awaited me. 

“ Mr. Rimmington has been waiting for you for 
some time, sir, ” my servant announced. “ He is in 
the sitting room with another gentleman.” 

My friend rose eagerly to welcome me as I entered. 
I shook hands with his companion, who was known to 
me slightly. 

“ The Chief asked me to bring Lord Hampden to 
you , 99 Rimmington explained. “ He came this morn¬ 
ing to ask for our help in an affair which is rather out¬ 
side our province. The Chief thought that you might 
be of assistance. 99 

“ Let me hear about it, ” I begged. 

My distinguished visitor plunged at once into the 
matter. 

“ The story is simple enough, Sir Norman, ” he said, 
“but serious. You are in touch with French politics? ” 

“ Scarcely , 99 I answered. “ I have been in India for 
the last eighteen months and only arrived in London 
last night. 99 

“ French politics to-day, ” Lord Hampden ex¬ 
plained, “ hinge chiefly upon the question of France’s 
attitude towards Germany. There is a party — the 
patriotic and military party — fiercely determined to 


94 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


make Germany pay to the uttermost farthing, and to 
squeeze the last drop of blood out of her by force of 
arms. The opposing party is all for compromises, 
encouragement of German trade, and even for a rap¬ 
prochement with Germany. You know, of course, who 
is the leader of the patriotic party? 99 

“ Lutarde, I should imagine. ” 

“ Philippe Lutarde, 99 my visitor assented. “ He is 
hated by the pro-German party, as I will call them, 
first because of his bitter enmity towards Germany, 
secondly because of his devotion to England, and 
thirdly because of his unfaltering rectitude. An at¬ 
tempt was made upon his life not long ago, and the 
French police have been instructed to watch him night 
and day. Lately, however, there has been more un¬ 
easiness than ever amongst the patriotic party. It is, 
I fear, true that the Chief of the Police is of the pro- 
German party, and there is, without doubt, a plot brew¬ 
ing at the present moment against Lutarde. It has 
been suggested to us that a thoroughly capable secret 
service man from this side might be of assistance in 
unravelling it. You follow me, I hope, Sir Norman? ” 

“ I think so, ” I admitted, “ but what is the nature 
of the plot ? ” 

“ One can only surmise, 99 Lord Hampden replied. 
“ We do not believe, however, that it is assassination. 
That would only make a martyr of Lutarde and sanc¬ 
tify his cause. We want you to go over to Paris and 
consult with a person whose name I will give you. You 
will be backed in any steps you may think well to take, 
by unquestionable authority. It will be a difficult 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 95 

commission and in a sense a vague one, but I may say 
that, in the event of your achieving any success, the 
Government would consider itself under the deepest 
debt of gratitude to you. ” 

“ I will do what I can, of course , 99 I promised. 
“ When do I start ? ” 

“ We should like you to catch the eleven o’clock 
train to-morrow morning, ” the Cabinet Minister sug¬ 
gested, rising to his feet. “ If you will dine with me at 
eight o’clock to-night in Carlton Terrace, I will furnish 
you with every other detail . 99 

So on the following morning, in less than forty-eight 
hours after my return to England, I found myself 
going through the ordinary routine of the continental 
traveller, registering my luggage, arranging my 
smaller belongings in the seat which had been reserved 
for me, and strolling back to the bookstall for a few 
final purchases. There I came face to face with Janet 
Stanfield, engaged upon the same task. She was study¬ 
ing a ladies’ journal and looked up at the sound of my 
voice. For the moment her indifference deserted her. 
She was frankly amazed. 

“ You? ” she exclaimed. “ Where are you going? ” 

“ To Paris, ” I answered. “ And you? ” 

“ We are fellow travellers, ” she said slowly. “Why 
did you not tell me yesterday? 99 

“ In an armed truce, ” I pointed out, “ the combat¬ 
ants do not usually disclose their future plans. ” 

She turned a little pale. 

“ So we are in the lists again, ” she murmured. 


96 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

44 I thought you enjoyed the struggle, ” I reminded 
her. 

“ I am a little tired, ” she admitted. 

I performed several small offices for her on the jour¬ 
ney, for which I could see that she was thankful. At 
Calais she had no reserved seat in the crowded train. 
I did my best to procure one for her, but in vain. I 
had no choice but to offer her a place in my reserved 
compartment. She was looking very fragile and tired 
as she accepted my offer with a grateful smile and 
sank into a vacant seat. 

44 You are a wonderful enen^, ” she confessed. 44 I 
am losing all my hatred of you. I will be franker with 
you than you have been with me, and tell you that 
when we met yesterday I had no idea of this journey. 
I am not used to travelling and I hate the sea. ” 

She curled up as gracefully as a cat and went fast 
asleep. When she opened her eyes, the people were 
streaming down the corridor in answer to the call for 
the first dinner. 

44 Have you eaten anything to-day P ” I enquired. 

44 Nothing, and I am ravenous, ” she admitted 
frankly. 

I committed the atrocity of dining at half-past five. 
Afterwards, she once more took a corner seat in my 
compartment and lit a cigarette. She was a good deal 
more like her old self. 

44 Has your husband sent for you? ” I asked bluntly. 

44 The parole has expired, ” she reminded me. 

I nodded. 

44 Listen, ” I continued, 44 1 am not out to do the 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 97 

work of Scotland Yard. I do not know where your 
husband may be hiding. My journey to Paris has 
nothing to do with him or his affairs. Yet you must 
understand this. If chance at any time should put me 
upon his track, I should follow it up and hand him 
over to justice. Nothing, ” I added, looking her stead¬ 
ily in the eyes, 44 could alter my determination so far 
as that is concerned. 99 

This time she did not take up the challenge. She only 
sighed and looked out of the window. 

44 You are very hard, ” she murmured. 

44 I have been a servant of the law, ” I reminded her, 
44 and I belong to those who choose to abide by the 
law . 99 

44 Why, ” she asked, 44 have you never denounced me 
as the murderess of that man at Woking? 99 

44 Because there has never been a tittle of evidence 
against you , 99 I replied. 44 There are any quantity of 
known criminals walking about to-day, in the same 
position. 99 

44 Supposing there were evidence and it came into 
your hands? ” she persisted. 

I hesitated, and my hesitation seemed to count to 
her as a triumph. 

44 I cannot assume a situation that has not arisen, 99 
I told her stiffly. 

I saw her luggage through the Customs, for which, 
as she knew no French, she was grateful. I offered her 
a seat in the car which had been sent for me, but she 
shook her head. 

44 1 am going to the Gare de l’Est, 99 she said. 


98 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ Where you will take a fresh cab and drive to the 
address which you do not intend me to hear, ” I re¬ 
marked. “ You need not go out of your way. I will 
give you another parole. I will make no effort to dis¬ 
cover your address, so you can take your taxi and 
drive straight there. I shall be at the Hotel Meurice. 
If you have an hour to spare, we will drive in the Bois 
to-morrow. ” 

For the next few days I was fully immersed in the 
complications of the business which had brought me to 
Paris. Rather to my surprise, Janet called to see me 
at the hotel and we took our drive in the Bois. It was 
easy to realise that, whatever the business which had 
brought her to Paris may have been, it was of a dis¬ 
turbing nature. She was nervous and ill-at-ease, look¬ 
ing around all the time as though she were afraid of 
being observed. There was a certain hardness, too, 
which seemed to have returned to her. Somehow, I 
gathered when we parted that she was obsessed by 
some new fear, some underlying dread of circumstances 
of which, however, she gave me no inkling. It was only 
after she had gone and I found myself thinking over our 
rather disjointed conversation, that I came to a cer¬ 
tain conclusion. I decided that she had received defin¬ 
ite and disquieting news of her husband. I could 
scarcely believe that he was in Paris. Rimmington had 
assured me that he had been located in Central America, 
and after all, I decided, the affair was no concern of 
mine. Some day or other would come the reckoning 
between this man and myself. I frankly confess that I 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 99 

had not the ghost of an idea that such a day might 
dawn within the next few hours. 

At the end of the third day of my stay, a little con¬ 
ference was held in my salon between Guy Ennison, 
who had worked in the English Secret Service during 
the war, and whose headquarters had been in Paris; 
myself, and Monsieur Destin, an ex-Chief of the Police, 
now a member of Lutarde’s Government. The latter 
was a short and corpulent little Frenchman, with black 
moustache and imperial, vivid black eyes, and a most 
vivacious manner. He spoke English with a marked 
accent but with great fluency. He opened our confer¬ 
ence with a few words of plain speaking. 

“ Sir Norman Greyes,” he said, grasping my hand, 
“ you are welcome. If you can help us to save our 
Chief, you are more than welcome. He is in danger —* 
of that I am assured. 99 

Much of the rest of his speech was irrelevant. The 
gist of the matter, however, was contained in his con¬ 
cluding sentences. 

“ They will seek to strike through his one weakness 
— his sentimentality, his too great good-nature. 
Philippe Lutarde has always been a lover of women, a 
kindly and a generous lover. He can resist no appeal 
to his sympathies, and our French public — you know, 
perhaps, how strange they are. Whatever our own 
private lives may be, we tolerate not even indiscretions 
from our great men. We glorify and sanctify them, 
we place them on a pedestal, and if they fall we depose 
them from our hearts. All nations have their peculiar 
form of hypocrisy. That is ours. Lutarde’s daily 


100 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

life is being examined at the present moment, hour by 
hour. ” 

“ By the police? ” I asked. 

“ No! By the agents of a very dangerous gang of 
criminals, whose chief we believe to be in league with 
the other side. ” 

“ Why not give warning to Monsieur Lutarde? 99 

“ That has been done. He is haughty and impet¬ 
uous. He will brook no interference with his actions. ” 

“ Is his life above reproach? 99 I asked bluntly. 

“ Absolutely, ” was the confident reply. “ He is 
seventy years of age and a philosopher. He has too 
much natural dignity to attempt that side of life for 
which his age renders him unsuitable. At the same 
time, he is full of sentiment. He likes to dally with 
the finer emotions. He would inhale the perfume of the 
roses from his neighbour’s garden, but he would never 
seek to pluck the blossoms. ” 

“ Can I meet him? ” I suggested. 

66 To-day at the British Embassy , 99 Guy Ennison 
replied. “We have arranged a little luncheon. He 
does not know your errand, and he scarcely even 
realises our anxiety. ” 

Our conference broke up soon afterwards. At 
luncheon I found Philippe Lutarde gracious, charming 
and brilliant. He had the clear skin and bright eyes 
of a younger man, his snow-white hair was a veritable 
adornment. His sense of humour was abundant and 
his laughter infectious. He was a delightful compan¬ 
ion, and I easily understood the enthusiastic adherence 
of his friends. Towards the close of luncheon, Ennison 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 101 


spoke to him quite seriously of the existence of some 
conspiracy against either his life or his honour. Lu- 
tarde only smiled. 

“ My friend, ” he said, “ I much appreciate all your 
efforts on my behalf, but behold, I am seventy years 
old! A few years more or less of life now are little. As 
to my honour, that no enemy can besmirch. If I were 
to surround myself by guards, as you suggest, place 
myself in a glass house, I should live an artificial life. 
I know that without me things might for a time be 
difficult, and relations between our two countries might 
suffer. In a month or two, however, all that will be 
changed — we shall have entered upon a new era — 
and for these few months I choose to take my risk. I 
will not submit to espionage.” 

“ You are subject to it at present from the other 
side,” Ennison reminded him gently. 

“ If I find a man attempting it,” was the fierce reply, 
“ I will shoot him.” 

Nevertheless, for the next three days I cast away 
my name and I resorted to the meaner walks of my 
profession. I shadowed the great French statesman 
from the moment when he rose until nightfall. I 
accompanied him, unseen, on those midnight walks 
against which his friends had protested so forcibly. 
I watched him give alms freely, speak kindly words to 
the distressed, and I watched other things a little more 
tensely, understanding what lay behind them. There 
was a young girl, very beautiful, with great dark eyes 
and an appealing face, who stopped him one night with 


102 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

some pitiful story. She was limping, and she pointed 
continually to her foot. Lutarde called the fiacre 
which she indicated. She leaned her fingers upon his 
arm. I was close enough to see the pressure of them, 
to note the subtlety of her upward glances. He handed 
her to the cab. I heard her pleading words. She was 
so lonely. If monsieur would drive with her a little 
way! But Lutarde shook his head gravely. He paid 
the taxicab man a fare which surprised him, lifted his 
hat courteously and w T alked away. I saw the change 
in the girl’s face as he disappeared. That was just one 
of his escapes. We had a more exciting few minutes 
one night when he insisted upon walking home from the 
Quai d’Orsay. I saw the four dark, silent figures glid- 
ing together, two of them in front of him and two 
behind, and I saw the waiting motor car at the corner 
of the street. Prudence led me to anticipate their 
action, whatever it might be. When they heard the 
spit of bullets against the wall, they took to their heels 
and ran. To the gendarme who came hurrying up, I 
had only to show my little badge of authority and he 
procured for us at once a taxicab. Lutarde, convinced 
now that his enemies were in earnest, yielded to my 
first proposition. - I was installed in his house as major- 
domo. 

We had three or four days of absolute quietude. 
Then the moment which we had been expecting arrived. 
It was about six o’clock in the evening, and I was 
seated in Monsieur Lutarde’s study, copying some let¬ 
ters at a desk and posing as his secretary. A servant 
brought in a note, which the Minister read hastily and 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 103 

passed to me. It was written on British Foreign Office 
note paper and signed by a very important personage. 
The gist of it was contained in these lines: 

The bearer can be altogether trusted. He brings 
you a verbal message of great importance. You will 
further our mutual interests if you give it your most 
serious consideration. 

44 This, at any rate, is genuine,” Monsieur Lutarde 
observed. 

44 It would appear so,” I admitted. 

44 You can show the bearer in,” the Minister ordered, 
addressing his servant. 

It was a mere chance which led me to retire to what 
Lutarde was pleased to call my spy hole. Notwith¬ 
standing my disguise, it was perhaps as well that I did 
so, for, to my amazement, it was Janet who was pres¬ 
ently ushered in. Monsieur Lutarde rose to his feet in 
some surprise. 

44 You are the bearer of this letter, Madame? ” he 
queried, touching it with his forefinger. 

44 In a sense I am not,” she replied, taking the chair 
to which he pointed and leaning a little over his desk. 
44 It is my husband who should have come. He would 
have ’waited upon you and brought the letter and 
message to which this note refers, but he was attacked 
last night by an old complaint of his — sciatica — and 
he is absolutely unable to move. He asked me to hasten 
to you, and to beg that under the circumstances you 
would do him the honour to come to the hotel. He is 
ashamed to have to ask you, but the doctor who is 


104 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


with him now absolutely forbids him to stand up. I 
have here his certificate.” 

“ I will come without delay, Madame,” Lutarde 
promised, waving away the half-sheet of note paper 
which she had tendered. 

“ I came in a taxicab — it is waiting,” she continued. 
“ You doubtless would prefer your own car? ” 

“ It is no matter,” he answered. “ At which hotel 
do you stay? ” 

“ The Hotel Napoleon in the Rue Tranchard,” she 
replied. 

The Minister started. I, too, received a shock, for 
the district was the most notorious in Paris. 

“ My dear Madame,” he protested, “ the neighbour¬ 
hood of the Rue Tranchard is certainly not a fit place 
for you and-” 

“ That is what distressed my husband so much in 
having to ask you to go to him,” she interrupted. “ It 
was the particular desire of the person on whose behalf 
he has come that his presence in Paris should not be 
known, and my husbancT deliberately chose this hotel, 
where he sometimes stayed when engaged in secret 
service work during the War. He desired me to say 
that, if you preferred not to risk being seen in such a 
locality, he would endeavour to procure an ambulance 
car from the hospital and come here.” 

“ Such a thing would be unheard of,” Lutarde pro¬ 
tested. “1 will come with you, of course.” 

He touched the bell. 

“ Show this lady back into the taxicab which is wait- 



THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 105 

ing,” he instructed the servant. “ Afterwards, fetch 
my coat and hat at once.” 

Janet passed quite close to me on her way to the 
door. She was her old self — quiet, impassive, delib¬ 
erate. There was not the slightest sign of satisfaction 
in her face that she had so far succeeded in her mission. 
She was just the anxious wife performing a necessary 
duty for her husband. 

I emerged from my hiding place as soon as she was 
safely out of the way. 

u Well? ” my temporary Chief asked, looking across 
at me. 

44 The moment has arrived,” I answered. 

Monsieur Lutarde, who by nature was one of the 
most unsuspicious men that ever breathed, looked posi¬ 
tively aghast. 

44 You suggest that the woman is an impostor? ” he 
exclaimed. 

44 She is the wife of a well-known English criminal,” I 
declared. 44 Her story was plausible but very improb¬ 
able. What about the letter that she brought? ” 

Monsieur Lutarde searched his table. I watched him 
grimly. 

44 You will not find it,” I told him. 44 1 saw her pick 
it up as she passed.” 

44 What shall we do? ” he asked. 

44 Keep her waiting for a few minutes and then go to 
the address she gave you but nowhere else,” I decided. 
44 1 am going to telephone to Ennison and I shall be 
there before you. If we see this thing through, we may 


106 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

find out who is at the bottom of it. I will see that 
you run no risk.” 

44 I have no fear,” Monsieur Lutarde asserted, frown¬ 
ing. 

44 I referred only to your reputation,” I assured 
him. 

The two drove off together after a brief delay. 
Ennison, to whom I had telephoned, picked me up 
almost immediately in his car. We made one more 
brief call and reached the hotel as the taxicab contain¬ 
ing Monsieur Lutarde and his companion was turning 
into the other end of the long street. Madame, from 
behind the glass windows of her bureau, eyed us a little 
suspiciously as we entered. I engaged her in confi¬ 
dential conversation, however, respecting a suite, and 
she did not even notice the three or four men who had 
followed us at intervals into the hotel and who dis¬ 
appeared in various directions. Presently I heard the 
taxicab stop. I made an excuse and we hurried into 
the salle a manger. Janet, followed by Monsieur Lu¬ 
tarde, who, although he had taken off his hat, held it 
in front of his face, crossed the floor swiftly towards 
the lift. Madame held out her key, which Janet ac¬ 
cepted with a little nod. They passed into the lift and 
we heard it ascend. I returned to the bureau. I allowed 
myself to show much interest. 

44 But surely, Madame,” I whispered, 44 that was 
Monsieur Lutarde, the great statesman, who entered 
with the lady? ” 

Madame smiled at us knowingly. 

44 In effect it is he,” she admitted. 44 Madame is the 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 107 

wife of an old client, an American gentleman who left 
this evening for London.” 

“ A love affair? ” I queried under my breath. 

Madame shrugged her shoulders. Her glance was 
eloquent. 

“ What can one do ? ” she murmured. 66 Only I hope 
that monsieur will never discover. He has a violent 
temper. Ah! The merciful heavens! It is monsieur 
himself who returns! Now there has tragedy arrived 
indeed!” 

Into the hotel with his coat tails flying behind him 
came a man who for long I did not recognize. I myself 
had stepped back out of sight and I watched the scene. 
The newcomer acted his part well. 

“ My key, Madame,” he shouted, banging his fist 
against the counter. 

Madame pretended to search for it. She too had 
been schooled in her part. So had the guests who, with 
a little crowd of journalists, came closing around. 

“ But I have it not, Monsieur,” the woman faltered. 
“ Madame herself- 99 

The newcomer strode towards the lift, which I 
imagine was wilfully delayed. He shook the gates and 
pressed the bell furiously. Madame leaned over the 
counter. 

“ But what ails Monsieur? ” she demanded. 

“ What ails me? ” he replied at the top of his voice, 
speaking now in broken French, now in English with 
an American accent. 66 1 tell you that not three min¬ 
utes ago I saw my wife enter this hotel with a man 



108 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

she who saw me off, as she thought, at the Gare du 
Nord not an hour ago! A curse upon your lift, 
Madame! This is a plot ! 99 

44 But, Monsieur-” Madame faltered. 

44 Hell! ” the outraged husband interrupted angrily. 

He turned and ran for the stairs, followed by a little 
crowd, amongst whom I easily escaped detection. We 
reached the second floor. The man who now, to my 
amazement, I realized must be Stanfield, was banging 
at the panels of a closed door and shouting. 

44 It is locked! ” he cried. 44 1 knew it! Locked! 
Open, Suzanne! You gain nothing by this. I come if 
I blow' the hotel about your ears! ” 

The door opened. A few of us were almost pushed 
in. Janet, with her face buried in her hands, turned 
away. Monsieur Lutarde, not wholly at his ease, stood 
there with folded arms. 

44 Who are you, sir, and what are you doing in my 
salon? ” Stanfield demanded fiercely. 

44 I am here at your wife’s bidding to receive a 
message which she assures me that her husband has 
brought from London,” Lutarde replied. 

44 It is a lie! ” Stanfield shouted. 44 1 am her hus¬ 
band and I know nothing of you. It is years since my 
wife was in London. These are subterfuges. Tell the 
truth, woman? ” 

Janet threw herself on the couch and hid her face. 

44 He is your lover? ” Stanfield insisted. 

44 1 could not help it,” Janet sobbed. 44 You have 
been so cruel lately. Why did you come back? ” 



THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 109 

There was a little murmur amongst the curious 
crowd in the background. A thin, dark man with 
pince-nez, obviously a journalist, was on the point of 
stealing away. The time had come for action. I dis¬ 
entangled myself from the group. Stanfield looked 
into the muzzle of my automatic. 

44 Hands up, Stanfield! ” I ordered. 44 Close in be¬ 
hind, Ennison. Pass the word down to bolt the doors 
of the hotel.” 

I had once come to the conclusion that, no matter 
how long our duel might continue, I should never see 
a sign of feeling in my enemy’s face. Through his 
wonderful disguise, however, the real man at this mo¬ 
ment leaped out. He stood staring at me, viciously yet 
with the half-fascinated amazement of one who looks 
upon a new thing in life. Janet was crouching back 
upon the couch, shrinking away from me as far as 
possible, her fingers tearing to pieces some shred of 
antimacassar. Suddenly she sprang like a cat between 
her husband and me. He saw his chance and leaped 
for the door. The crowd of stupefied people opened 
as though by magic to let him pass. I lowered my 
pistol and shouted a warning at the top of my voice. 
There was the sound of a shot below and the trampling 
of many feet. A grey-haired, well-dressed man with a 
red ribbon in his buttonhole, whom I afterwards dis¬ 
covered to be the editor of a leading journal, pushed 
his way through. 

44 Monsieur,” he said to me, 44 is there any answer 
to this riddle? ” 

44 You will find it below,” I answered shortly. 44 There 


110 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


has been a plot to compromise the personal honour of 
Monsieur Lutarde here, which you have seen frustrated. 
The injured husband is an English criminal. His 
wife ” — I hesitated — 44 his accomplice. Monsieur 
Lutarde has never seen either of them before in his 
life. You journalists were invited here to witness 
something different. If I may be allowed to say so, 
you will do well to give what pledges may be required 
of you. The hotel at the present moment is in the 
hands of agents of the French Government.” 

There was a little murmur. 

44 Might one enquire your name, sir? ” my questioner 
demanded. 

44 My name is Norman Greyes,” I answered. 44 1 
was once an English detective. I am now in the em¬ 
ploy of the English Government.” 

The man bowed low. 

44 The affair is explained, sir,” he said. 

The curious crowd of onlookers melted away. Down¬ 
stairs, behind the locked doors, an inquisition was 
being held. Monsieur Lutarde came over and shook 
me bv the hand. 

44 My thanks later, Sir Norman,” he began. 44 Mean¬ 
while - 

Ennison entered, accompanied by Monsieur Lu- 
tarde’s private secretary and a personage whom 
I recognized as a high official of the French Court. 
There was a great deal of rapid conversation 
between the four, a mingled outpouring of con¬ 
gratulations and wonder. Then we all moved to- 



THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 111 

wards the door. I touched Ennison on the arm. 

“ What about Stanfield? ” I enquired eagerly. 

66 Escaped for the moment,” was the reluctant ad¬ 
mission. 44 He got through the back premises of the 
hotel, somehow.” 

44 Escaped! ” Janet murmured, in enigmatic accents. 

They were filing out of the room. I was the last. 
Janet rose to her feet. She stood there looking at me. 

44 What happens to me? ” she asked. 

44 There is no charge against you that I am aware 
of,” I replied. 

She came a step nearer. 

44 I am afraid,” she muttered. 44 They will say that 
it was my fault.” 

Ennison was already out of the room, leaving the 
door, however, wide open. The woman and I were 
alone. 

44 I am afraid,” she repeated, and she came still a 
step nearer. 

Below, the hotel was in a turmoil. I was suddenly 
sick of the whole business, a sordid piece of chicanery. 

44 You descend the ladder,” I said. 44 I scarcely 
believed that you would stoop to an intrigue of this 
sort.” 

44 We needed the money,” she declared hardly. 44 He 
had spent everything, and I had only what I earned as 
a dressmaker. The people who stood behind this affair 
were generous. It would all have been so easy and so 
safe if you had not interfered. I begin to think that 
you are my evil genius, Norman Greyes.” 


112 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

I heard myself called from below. I took a last 
glance at her. Her beautiful body was drawn to its 
utmost height. She was breathing quickly, as though 
with some suppressed emotion. The danger lights were 
gleaming in her strange-coloured eyes. For a single 
moment temptation raged within me. Then I remem¬ 
bered. 

44 If you need money to get you back to England,” I 
said, 44 you can apply to the British Consul. I will 
arrange it for you.” 

44 I may not come to you — for it? ” 

“ No! ” 

I heard Ennison’s) returning footsteps upon the 
stairs. I turned away and closed the door behind me. 

44 Everything O.K.,” Ennison declared triumphantly. 
44 Our friends have made quite a coup.” 

44 Any further news of the outraged husband?” I 
asked. 

44 I’m afraid he’s got clean away,” Ennison con¬ 
fessed. 4k Our people declare that he was helped by 
the police. Come on, old fellow, my car’s waiting and 
we’re going to have an absinthe at the Cafe de la Paix.” 

A quarter of an hour later, we sat amongst the most 
cosmopolitan crowd in the world outside the Cafe de 
la Paix, sipping our absinthe and watching the passers- 

by- 

44 A very successful evening’s work,” Ennison de¬ 
clared thoughtfully. 

44 So far as it goes,” I acquiesced. 44 After all, 
though, a man with so many enemies can never be held 
altogether free from danger.” 


THE HONOUR OF MONSIEUR LUTARDE 113 


“We have gone to-night further than you think,” 
my companion assured me. “ The agents of the 
French police who were with us extracted confessions 
from the hotel proprietor and his wife, amongst others, 
which implicate some very well-known people. I need 
not explain further to you, I am sure. You can rely 
upon one thing for certain, however. From this eve¬ 
ning Monsieur Lutarde is free from the danger of any 
attempt upon either his life or his honour.” 

“ In that case,” I agreed, “ our work has indeed 
been well done.” 

We drank our absinthe in great content. Many 
months afterwards, a curiously insignificant episode of 
those next few minutes was brought forcibly to my 
mind. Near us, a very precise and elderly man, care¬ 
fully dressed, with a red ribbon in his buttonhole and 
a stiff, official bearing, raised his hat to Ennison as he 
passed us. My companion returned his salute, and I 
watched his dignified wandering amongst the chairs 
until he found one to his liking. The waiter, seeing 
him approach, bowed low and hurried away without 
waiting for his spoken order. 

“ Who was that P ” I enquired curiously. 

“ An insurance agent in the Rue Scribe,” Ennison 
replied. “ His name, I think, is Gaston Lefevre.” 

“ A type,” I observed. 

“ There are many here,” my companion assented. 


CHAPTER V 


THE THEEE MALEFACTORS 

JANET 

It was about four months after I had been in the 
service — how I hate the phrase ! — of Mrs. Trumper- 
ton-Smith, that I decided to rob her. I first went to 
her because, day by day, I felt the need of money for 
those luxuries to which I had become accustomed. 
After my disastrous visit to Paris, no news whatever 
had come to me from my husband. A slack period had 
set in at the dressmaking establishment where I had 
been employed, and I was informed that my services 
were no longer necessary. I spent a month at a mani¬ 
curist’s and a few weeks at a photographic studio. I 
left them for the same reason. I have killed a man 
with my own hand and been a partner in more than one 
robbery, but the one virtue of my plebeian ancestors 
has remained — an uncomfortable, sometimes an al¬ 
most accursed gift. I have never lost my self-respect. 
The touch of an unloved hand upon my fingers awakens 
in me at once a passionate repugnance. It was that 
feeling which was responsible for my one great crime. 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 


115 


Mrs. Trumperton-Smith advertised in the Morning 
Post for a companion-lady’s maid. I secured the post 
on account of my manners and appearance, but I soon 
found that the duties which I was expected to fill per¬ 
tained far more to the latter position than the former. 
My mistress was a lady of ample person and ample 
means. She lived in excellent style and apparently 
had plenty of money. She was a widow about forty- 
five years old, still good-looking in a florid sort of way, 
and well enough educated from the middle-class point 
of view. She wasted no time upon pets. Men were her 
one and everlasting hobby. She was not difficult to 
please, but in a general way she preferred them young 
and silly. I do not think that matrimony ever entered 
into her designs. I gathered later on that she had 
been ill-treated by two husbands, each of whom, how¬ 
ever, had left her a substantial fortune. 

We were staying at the Magnificent Hotel at 
Brighton when the idea which I have mentioned — of 
robbing my mistress — first took definite shape in my 
mind. I should have bided my time, I think, but for 
two reasons. One was that the salary which she paid 
me was absurdly small and I saw no chance of saving 
anything, and the other was the very imminent fear of 
being anticipated. Mrs. Trumperton-Smith was not 
always so discreet as she should have been in her 
acquaintances. At the present time she was on ex¬ 
ceedingly friendly terms with a Mr. Sidney Bloor, 
whom I put down, from the moment I first saw him, as 
an undoubted adventurer. He was young and rather 
pimply-faced, with weak eyebrows and eyelashes, small, 


116 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

cunning eyes, a vapid expression but an acquisitive 
mouth. He was always dressed in the height of fashion, 
and he had acquired the shibboleth of the up-to-date 
young man of the moment. Mrs. Trumperton-Smith 
admired and believed in him. I mistrusted and despised 
him. He made languid attempts to kiss me whenever 
he found me alone in the sitting room, attempts which 
I always managed to evade without exaggerated prud¬ 
ery, and without thinking it necessary to refuse the 
frequent tips which his position as my mistress’s de¬ 
clared admirer seemed to render my due. I knew 
exactly what he was after, though. I had seen his 
covetous eyes light up when my mistress had more than 
usually overloaded her portly person with some of the 
magnificent jewels in which a portion of her large 
means was invested. I had seen him make mental calcu¬ 
lations as to their value with a greedy, almost ferocious 
light in his unpleasant eyes. There was a particular 
diamond necklace which seemed to move him more than 
any other of her possessions. I felt sure that, w T hen 
he made his attempt, it would be this necklace which 
he would endeavour to secure. 

He found me one evening, some four months after 
our arrival in Brighton, alone in the sitting room at 
about the hour when Madame was sometimes pleased to 
dispense cocktails. A spasmodic attempt at gallantry 
having been met and repulsed, he lingered to watch me 
busy repairing a hair ornament which my mistress de¬ 
sired to wear that evening. 

“Where is the old bird?” he asked confidentially. 

I did not discourage this familiarity as I should have 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 117 

done, because I was really anxious to make a guess at 
his plans. 

“ Madame is out playing bridge with some friends,” 
I told him. 

44 What littlo gewgaws are you sending her down in 
to-night? ” he enquired, with affected carelessness. 

44 Whatever she chooses to wear,” I replied. 

44 Only last night,” he remarked, 44 she told me that 
it was generally you who made the selection.” 

44 She usually does wear what I put out,” I assented. 
44 Which do you admire her in most, Mr. Bloor? ” 

The young man scratched his chin thoughtfully. All 
the amorousness of the barroom lounger was in his tone 
and expression as he glanced down at me. 

44 It doesn’t matter to me what she wears,” he sighed. 
44 1 know a little girl, though, who would look the real 
thing decked out in those diamonds, eh? ” 

44 1 expect you have a large acquaintance amongst 
my sex,” I replied demurely. 

44 Wasn’t thinking of any one farther away than 
this room,” he assured me. 44 You’re a damn good- 
looking girl, you know, Janet.” 

44 Do you think so, Mr. Bloor? ” I ventured, without 
looking up. 

44 I do, indeed,” he insisted, edging a little nearer 
towards me. 44 1 say, go and fetch them just for a 
joke and try them on. I’d like to see how they look on 
that white throat of yours.” 

44 And have Madame come in and send me away with¬ 
out notice! No, thank you, Mr. Bloor! ” 

44 If you lost your job through me,” he declared 


118 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

magniloquently. 44 1 should take good care to make it 
up to you.” 

44 Your way of making it up might not appeal to 
me,” I answered. 

“ You’re a cold young woman, Janet,” he com¬ 
plained. “ My last evening, too.” 

44 Are you going away? ” 

44 Back to the City to-morrow. I’m my own master 
and all that, of course — take a week or two just when 
I want it — but one has to pick up a bit of the rhino 
now and then. We haven’t all got Mrs. Trumperton- 
Smith’s money.” 

44 If it is really your last night,” I said, 44 tell me 
what jewellery you would like the mistress to wear this 
evening, and I will put it out for her.” 

He affected to treat the matter with indifference, but 
it was obviously what he had been leading up to. 

44 What about the diamond necklace, then? ” he sug¬ 
gested. 44 She’s coming to dine at my table, so I ought 
to have a say. The diamond necklace, earrings and 
bracelet! What-ho! We shan’t need any other illu¬ 
mination ! ” 

44 I will do my best,” I promised him. 

My mistress came bustling in, a moment or two later, 
and busied herself making the cocktails. I went 
through into her bedroom to lay out her gown. It was 
perfectly clear to me now that if I were going to rob 
Mrs. Trumperton-Smith at all, it had better be done 
quickly. Mr. Sidney Bloor’s choice showed that he had 
a very fair idea of the value of jewels. 

The drinking of cocktails was concluded a little more 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 


119 


quickly than usual, and Mrs. Trumperton-Smith joined 
me in the bedroom, full of what passed with her as 
geniality. She was always agreeable when things had 
been going her way, and she had a certain florid good¬ 
nature which made her popular in the hotel and 
amongst her casual acquaintances. It was a quality, 
however, which was entirely superficial, and in a general 
way I found her disagreeable, selfish and jealous to a 
degree. Her whole expression altered as she submitted 
herself to my ministrations. 

44 How long had Mr. Bloor been here? ” she asked. 

44 About five minutes, Madame.” 

44 Another time,” she said stiffly, 44 it would be more 
seemly if you brought any work you had to do in here, 
whilst he was waiting for me.” 

44 Very good, Madame.” 

44 And what a mess you’ve made of this aigrette! ” 
she went on. 44 I don’t think I shall ever wear it again.” 

44 1 have arranged it exactly according to your in¬ 
structions, Madame,” I told her. 

44 Don’t answer me, woman,” she snapped. 44 And 
be careful with my hair on the left side. You’re mak¬ 
ing me look a perfect fright. Here! ” 

She withdrew the key of her jewel case from a brace¬ 
let, and passed it to me. 

44 As Madame is wearing black,” I said, 44 I thought 
she would prefer the diamonds.” 

44 Bring them along and don’t talk so much,” was 
the curt reply. 

I selected the diamond necklace, earrings and brace¬ 
let, locked up the case and returned the key. My mis- 


120 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

tress’s expression softened as she looked at herself in 
the glass. 

44 I really think,” she reflected, with a little sigh, 
44 that black does become me.” 

44 I have heard a great many people say so, 
Madame,” I assured her. 

She picked up her gold bag, looked inside to see that 
I had placed her handkerchief there, and turned away. 

44 See that the fire is kept up in the sitting room, 
Janet,” she ordered. “ Mr. Bloor and I will take our 
coffee there.” 

44 Very good, Madame,” I replied. 

I went into the steward’s room and had my supper 
as usual, and I also paid a visit to Mr. Bloor’s bedroom 
and borrowed certain trifles which I proposed to use 
later on. It was not yet clear to me by what means 
the young man was scheming to possess himself of the 
jewels, but I was quite convinced that the attempt 
itself would be made that night. I happened to know 
that both he and Mrs. Trumperton-Smith were engaged 
to play bridge after dinner at a neighbouring hotel, 
and I was quite sure that it was the jewels she was 
wearing, rather than those left in her case, upon which 
he had designs. I contrived to leave open the connect¬ 
ing door between the bedroom and sitting room, and 
to be in the former when they returned for their coffee. 
Madame had come in for her cloak and they were on 
the point of starting out again, when her escort at last 
gave me the cue for which I had been waiting. 

44 I say, Mimi,” he drawled — he called her 44 Mimi ” 
although she weighed fourteen stone — 44 1 don’t feel 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 121 

comfortable walking along the front with you in those 
diamonds. Leave them behind, there’s a dear. All 
those women at the Royal wear flashy jewellery. You’ll 
look much more the real thing with none on at all.” 

“ Just as you like, dear,” she assented meekly. “ Per- 
haps you’re right, especially if we go on to supper 
afterwards. Here, Janet!” 

I hurried out. 

“ Yes, Madame? ” 

“Take these off—all of them,” she directed, ex¬ 
tending her arms and poising her neck. “ I am going 
out and may be late.” 

I relieved her of the jewels. All the time Mr. Bloor 
was watching with a gleam in his eyes. 

“ If you will give me your key, Madame, I will lock 
them up,” I suggested. 

I could judge that this was the critical moment for 
Mr. Bloor. He had gambled correctly, however, upon 
Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s general indolence. 

“ Oh, that will do when I get back,” she said. “ Put 
them in one of the drawers, Janet.” 

They went off together. I did exactly as I had been 
bidden, and afterwards lingered in the sitting room 
whilst I completed my plans. I had just come to a 
decision when there was a sharp knock at the door. The 
manager of the hotel — a Mr. Leon Grant — made his 
appearance. He looked around the empty sitting room. 

“ I understood that Mrs. Trumperton-Smith was up 
here,” he said courteously. 

“ Mrs. Trumperton-Smith went out some little time 



122 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


ago,” I told him. 44 I think she has gone into the Royal 
Hotel to play bridge.” 

He seemed disappointed. He was a thin, rather 
nervous-looking person, with a very agreeable face and 
manner, but with lines about his eyes and a general 
air of over-anxiety. It was rumoured that the hotel 
was not doing quite so well as some of its rivals, a state 
of affairs which he felt keenly. 

44 What time do you expect your mistress back? ” he 
enquired. 

44 She did not say, sir,” I replied. 44 The last time 
she went out to play bridge, it was about one o’clock 
when she returned. Mr. Bloor is with her.” 

The manager nodded and turned away. 

44 Can I give her any message, sir? ” I added. 

He hesitated, closed the door and came back again. 

44 I should imagine,” he said, looking at me atten¬ 
tively, 44 that you are a trusted servant.” 

44 1 was engaged as companion-lady’s maid, sir,” I 
told him. 44 1 believe that my mistress has every con¬ 
fidence in me.” 

He nodded. 

44 To tell you the truth,” he explained, 44 1 am a little 
worried about your mistress’s jewels. There was a small 
robbery last night at an hotel in the neighbourhood, 
and I have had an indirect sort of warning from the 
police that there are thieves about. Mrs. Trumperton- 
Smith has the reputation of being very careless. I 
came to ask her if she would allow me to keep her 
jewels in the hotel safe.” 

44 I should be very glad if you could persuade her to 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 123 

do so, sir, ’ I assured him. 66 I suggested it when we 
arrived, but Madame likes to take them out and look at 
them when she is alone.” 

It is scarcely fair upon any hotel,” the manager 
pointed out, a little querulously. “ Will you be so kind 
as to tell me where she keeps them? ” 

I showed him the case, although I said nothing of the 
diamonds in the drawer. He frowned severely. 

u It is placing temptation in people’s way,” he 
declared. 

64 The door of the bedroom is always locked,” I re¬ 
minded him, “ and you have a night watchman. Then,' 

too, we are on the fourth storey-” 

“ My dear young woman,” he interrupted irritably, 
“ those things are nothing to an experienced thief. The 
hotel safe is the only place for such jewellery as Mrs. 
Trumperton-Smith possesses. I shall wait upon her 
to-morrow morning and tell her so.” 

He said good night pleasantly and left me. I went 
back to my room, undressed, and donned a complete 
suit of Mr. Bloor’s evening clothes, and theatre hat, 
which I had taken the liberty of borrowing from his 
room. At the time when I knew that the night watch¬ 
man’s back was turned, I slipped out, descended a few 
of the stairs which were exactly opposite my door, 
ascended them again noisily, walked along the corridor, 
entered Mr. Bloor’s room, waited there a moment or 
two, came out again, and entered the sitting room of 
our suite. In ten minutes I was back in my bedroom 
with the diamonds. In an hour’s time, Mr. Bloor’s 



124 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

clothes were back in his room and the diamonds safely 
disposed of. 


NORMAN GREYES 

It was really, in the first place, not owing to any 
request from my friend Rimmington that I became 
interested in the Brighton robbery and murder case. 
Philip Harris, who was a director of the hotel company, 
wrote me a personal letter, asking me to represent the 
interests of the hotel in any way I thought fit, and it 
was on the strength of this appeal that I travelled 
down to Brighton and took up my temporary residence 
at the Magnificent Hotel. Within a few minutes of 
my arrival, the manager himself waited upon me. As 
was only natural, he w r as in a state of great distress. 
Almost before we had shaken hands, he had commenced 
to unburden himself. 

“ Forty different people,” he told me distractedly, 
“ have given notice to leave the hotel within the next 
few days. Several have gone already, right in the 
middle of the season.” 

I probably seemed a little unsympathetic. 

“ It was another tragedy I came down to investigate, 
Mr. Grant,” I reminded him. 

I think that he perceived the justice of my rebuke, 
for he apologised at once. 

“ I am sorry, Sir Norman,” he said, “ but there are 
times when one can’t help being selfish. Mr. Johnson, 
the chief of the local police, is here waiting to see you. 


125 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 

Is there anything I can tell you first? You will visit 
the suite in which the affair happened, of course? ” 

“ Presently,” I answered. “ Apart from the obvious 
evidence, have you any personal impressions you would 
like to confide ? 99 

Mr. Leon Grant hesitated. 

“ There is just one small matter, Sir Norman,” he 
said, 44 which worries me a little. Mr. Sidney Bloor is 
all the time practically under arrest. He has left the 
hotel and is staying in lodgings on the front, but he is 
watched night and day.” 

44 There seems to be a moderately clear case against 
him,” I remarked. 

44 In many respects it would appear convincing,” the 
manager asented. 44 His antecedents are bad, his atten¬ 
tions to a woman nearly twenty years his senior are 
difficult to explain on any other basis except that of 
self-advantage. He escorted her round to the Royal 
Hotel to play bridge, cut out during the evening, came 
back to this hotel, and was seen by the fireman, who acts 
as night watchman, to enter Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s 
suite. The presumption is, of course, that he stole the 
jewels then, left the hotel with them in his pocket, and 
passed them on to a confederate. Mrs. Trumperton- 
Smith and he returned together early in the morning, 
between one and two, and he escorted her to her suite. 
His story is that he stayed there for about five minutes 
and had a whisky and soda in the sitting room, parted 
w r ith her on friendly terms and subsequently went to his 
room, to be awakened at nine o’clock and told by the 


126 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

floor valet that Mrs. Trumperton-Smith had been mur¬ 
dered in the night and her jewellery stolen.” 

“ And what is your comment upon his story ? ” I 
enquired. 

“ Just this,” was the earnest reply. 44 There is no 
doubt whatever that the young man did return to the 
hotel alone, but whereas the night watchman swears 
that he saw him enter Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s suite 
at half-past ten, the hall porter downstairs, two of the 
pages and a reception clerk are equally positive that it 
w r as exactly midnight when he came in and went up¬ 
stairs.” 

44 Could he have paid two visits ? ” I suggested. 

44 It is exceedingly unlikely, Sir Norman. If he had 
come in at the time that the night watchman swore that 
he saw him go into Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s suite, he 
must have been noticed downstairs.” 

44 This divergence of evidence,” I observed, 44 is inter¬ 
esting, but I scarcely see what it leads to. Perhaps I 
had better talk to Mr. Johnson for a little time.” 

The Chief Constable himself paid me the honour of 
a visit, accompanied by Johnson, who was an exceed¬ 
ingly painstaking and capable officer. They had very 
little fresh information to give me, excepting certain 
technical details which certainly told against the young 
man Bloor. 

44 You say that none of the jewellery has been recov¬ 
ered ? ” I enquired. 

44 None of the jewellery in question, I fear,” Johnson 
admitted. 44 Mr. Bloor has two very handsome pins in 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 127 

his possession, but he was clever enough to admit at 
once that these were given him by the deceased.” 

64 Is he short of money? ” 

44 Apparently,” was the somewhat dry reply. 

44 You haven’t been able to collect any evidence as to 
his having spoken to any one outside, on his way back 
to the Royal? ” 

64 Not at present, I am sorry to say, sir. We are 
working on that now.” 

44 What about this discrepancy in the alleged time 
of his visit? ” 

44 That is another of the things we are trying to 
straighten out. Anyway, the night watchman, who is 
a very respectable fellow, is prepared to swear that he 
saw Sidney Bloor reenter the suite, even though his idea 
of the time seems to be out. Assuming that the theft 
took place then, though, the motive for the murder 
becomes obscure.” 

44 And Mr. Bloor’s own story? ” 

44 He came a terrible cropper, sir,” Johnson declared, 
a little triumphantly. 44 He at first stated that he only 
left the bridge table, when he cut out, to get some 
fresh air; that he leaned over the wall of the promenade, 
looking at the sea, the whole of the time. Afterwards 
he admitted that he had visited the hotel and gone up 
for a moment to Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s suite, where 
he thought he had dropped his cigar case.” 

44 Did he mention any time? ” I asked. 

44 He thought it was about midnight.” 

44 The inquest,” I remarked, 44 has been adjourned.” 

44 Till Thursday week, Sir Norman,” the Chief 


128 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


Constable told me. “ The evidence given at the inquest 
is at jour disposal at any time.” 

“ I have already studied it, thanks,” I said. “ I 
should like, if possible, to have a few words with the 
night porter and with the deceased’s maid.” 

The former, whose name was John O’Hara, proved 
to be a very respectable, stolid and obstinate man. 
Nothing could shake his conviction that he had seen 
Sidney Bloor enter Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s suite at 
about half-past ten and emerge from it five minutes 
later. He admitted that the corridor was badly lit, but 
he would not hear a word against his watch. I dismissed 
him with the conviction that, so far as he knew it, he 
was speaking the truth. Then I sent for the maid. 
There was a brief delay, followed by the sound of soft 
footsteps outside and the opening and shutting of a 
door. I glanced up from the copy of O’Hara’s evidence 
which I had been studying, and I received, I think, the 
greatest shock of my life. With her back pressed to 
the closed door, her fingers clinging to the handle, stood 
the woman whom I had known as Janet Stanfield! 

Neither of us spoke for several moments. Her lips 
were parted, but if she gave vent to any exclamation it 
was inaudible. Her eyes were fixed upon my face in a 
stare of amazement. I could see the rapid rise and fall 
of her bosom. It was obvious that no one had men¬ 
tioned my name — that she had come to me as a 
stranger — that her surprise at this meeting was as 
great as mine. I rose to my feet, and then, at the 
moment of attempted speech, a new horror seemed to 
flow in upon my senses. She had been the maid of the 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 129 

murdered woman! It was, in any case, an ominous 
coincidence! 

Janet came slowly over towards me. 

“ I did not know that you were here,” she said. 

“Nor I that you had reentered domestic service,” I 
replied. 

She flinched a little but she answered me quite quietly. 

“ Poverty is a hard mistress. When you met me in 
Bond Street some months ago, and I lunched with you, 
I was engaged at a dressmaker’s establishment. Then 
my husband sent for me to go to Paris. You know 
very well what happened to us there. I returned to 
London worse off than when I had left it. I lost my 
situation. Then I became a manicurist. I stood that 
for about three weeks. I had nine shillings in my purse 
when I saw Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s advertisement. 
I answered it and came here.” 

“ You are better off now? ” I ventured. 

She was beginning to recover her self-possession. 

“ Hadn’t you better warn me that anything I say 
may be used as evidence against me? ” she asked mock¬ 
ingly. 

“ I agree. Yet I shall ask you one question, and one 
only.” 

66 I do not promise to answer it.” 

66 But you will answer it,” I insisted, watching her 
steadily, “ and you will tell me the truth. Had you 
anything to do with Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s death? ” 

“ I had not,” she replied unfalteringly. 

I sat down with some abruptness. Psychologically 


130 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


it was impossible for me to explain the feeling of relief 
which seemed to be lightening my whole being. 

44 You were not even an accomplice? ” 

44 One question you promised to ask, and one I to 
answer,” she said. 44 I have finished.” 

I was thoughtful for a moment. I was thinking of 
the doctor’s evidence at the inquest. The coroner had 
asked him whether the injuries on the throat of the 
deceased could have been inflicted by a woman. The 
reply was there on the depositions before me: 44 1 

should think it very unlikely.” 

44 Very well,” I said, 44 1 will waive my second ques¬ 
tion. Instead I will make an appeal to you. I am here 
to try and discover the person who robbed and mur¬ 
dered your late mistress. Can you help me? ” 

44 If I could, why should I? ” she demanded. 44 We 
are in opposite camps.” 

44 There will certainly be a reward for the recovery 
of the jewels.” 

44 1 should very much like to earn it,” she admitted. 
44 1 do not know who stole them.” 

44 Have you any idea,” I asked her, 44 why Mrs. 
Trumperton-Smith left the hotel for her bridge party 
that night without any jewellery at all? ” 

She considered for a moment. 

44 Mr. Bloor suggested that she should take off her 
diamonds and leave them at home,” she answered. 

44 And did she? ” 

44 Yes! ” 

44 You know that Mr. Bloor came back to the suite? ” 

44 1 have been told so.” 


131 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 

“ And you know that the evidence is very conflicting 
as to what time he paid his visit? ” 

66 Yes, I know that. Why shouldn’t he have paid 
two ? ” 

<fi It is an idea,” I admitted. ££ Do you think that 
Sidney Bloor is the man we want ? ” 

<£ Why should you imagine that I would help you if 
I could? ” she asked coldly. 

££ From the little I have heard of Mr. Sidney Bloor, 
I should have looked upon him as a nincompoop,” I 
continued. 

££ I should not have thought,” she agreed, ££ that he 
would have had courage enough to wring the neck of a 
chicken.” 

I regarded her fixedly. 

££ Why don’t you try to earn the reward? ” I asked. 

££ I am thinking about it,” she replied. “ If I have 
any luck, I’ll come to you.” 

She left me then and I went for a stroll along the 
front. Seated in one of the shelters, a little way to¬ 
wards Hove, was a young man whom I felt sure, from 
his description, was Sidney Bloor. I looked around and 
found that one of Rimmington’s men was seated on the 
other side of the shelter. I touched the young man on 
the arm, and his violent start assured me that I had 
not made a mistake. 

<£ I believe that you are Mr. Sidney Bloor,” I said. 
££ Can I have a few words with you? ” 

££ If you’re a journalist,” he began surlily—*— 

££ I can assure you that I am not,” I replied. ££ My 



132 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

name is Norman Greyes. I was once a detective, but at 
present I do not hold any official position. It is more 
likely to be to your advantage than not, to spare me 
a few minutes.” 

He rose doubtfully to his feet. 

“ We can’t talk here,” he objected. 

“ Let us take a stroll along the sands,” I suggested. 
“ We shall be sufficiently alone there.” 

We walked side by side over the pebbles to the edge 
of the sea and turned towards Hove. My companion 
was obviously in a state of nerves. He walked un¬ 
steadily. He was out of breath before we had gone 
fifty yards. 

“ I have no official connection with this case, Mr. 
Bloor,” I began, “ but the hotel company have asked 
me to make a few enquiries. If you are guilty, the 
police will probably bring the crime home to you. If 
you are not-” 

“ I am not! ” he interrupted passionately. 

“ If you are not,” I repeated, “ I am here for your 
assistance. Remember I am here to discover the truth, 
not to try and fix the guilt on any particular person. 
Why don’t you tell me the truth? ” 

He was silent for several moments, probably, I de¬ 
cided, piecing together the story he had made up his 
mind to tell. He went further, however, than I had 
expected. 

“ I have never laid violent hands upon a woman in 
my life,” he declared. “ I never would. All the same, 
I did mean to rob her. I meant to steal her diamonds.” 

“ Why didn’t you ? ” 



THE THREE MALEFACTORS 


133 


44 They were stolen before I could get at them. I 
made her take them off before we went out to bridge. 
They were left in a drawer, not even locked up. The 
first time I cut out of the rubber, I came back to the 
hotel. I went up to her room and searched the 
drawer where the jewels had been put. They had gone. 
I concluded that some one had either been before me, 
or that Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s maid had put them 
in a safer place. I went back to the bridge party, came 
home with Mrs. Trumperton-Smith about two o’clock, 
said good night to her in her sitting room, had a whisky 
and soda and went to bed. That’s all I know about it, 
so help me God! ” 

We turned around and retraced our steps. 

44 When you couldn’t find the diamonds, why didn’t 
you take the jewel case? ” I asked. 

44 1 should have been seen carrying it,” he replied, 
44 and I had no tools with which to open it. I am not a 
professional thief. That night I almost wished I had 
been.” 

44 You are aware that the evidence looks rather black 
against you? ” I pointed out. 

44 1 can’t help it,” he answered sullenly. 44 1 didn’t 
do it.” 

44 Have you any theory as to who did? ” 

44 The maid, I should think,” he replied. 44 She was 
much too superior for her job — a secretive, unsociable 
sort of person. She wasn’t there for nothing.” 

We reached the steps leading to the promenade. 

44 I am sorry that you made that last suggestion,” I 
said. 44 Otherwise, you have done yourself no harm by 


134 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

your frankness. Your story may possibly be true. If 
it is, you have nothing to worry about.” 

I left him on the promenade and saw him stroll 
across the road to a chemist’s shop for a pick-me-up. 
I went back to the hotel and discovered that my friend 
Inspector Rimmington from Scotland Yard had al¬ 
ready arrived and had taken over formal conduct of 
the case. He had already had some conversation with 
the manager, and had interviewed Janet and the night 
watchman. He was now waiting for Sidney Bloor, 
whose very unenviable dossier he had brought down 
with him. I glanced it through without any particular 
interest. Rimmington watched me curiously. 

44 The young man is a thoroughly bad lot,” he ob¬ 
served. 

I nodded. 

44 There’s only one thing in his favour. When you 
talk to him, you will realise that he is absolutely a 
decadent, a young man without nerve or any manlike 
quality. Now I don’t know wdiether it has ever oc¬ 
curred to you, Rimmington, but I should imagine that 
it would take a person with great strength of nerve to 
hold a woman by the throat and watch her die. Some¬ 
how, I don’t believe Bloor could have done that.” 

Rimmington was singularly unconvinced. 

44 I shall know better when I have talked to him, 
perhaps,” he remarked. 

64 Don’t encourage these local fellows to make an 
arrest until to-morrow,” I advised. 

I took the midday train to town, and travelled in 
the Pullman with Mr. Leon Grant, the manager of the 


135 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 

hotel, who was on his way up to confer once more with 
the directors. It was obvious that he had taken the 
tragedy very much to heart. He showed me a cable 
from Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s son, who was on his 
way back from Egypt. It ran as follows: 

Greatly shocked. Arrive 17th. Hope police will 
discover criminal. Believe jewels principal part 
mother’s estate. Offer reward immediately for return 
any one not connected crime. 

44 I am suggesting a tenth part of the insured value,” 
he announced. 44 I shall see the solicitors before I 
return.” 

As we drew into Victoria, I offered my companion a 
lift. He refused, however, on the ground that he had 
a case of wine in the van, which he was taking back to a 
wine merchant. I made a few calls, dined at my club, 
and travelled back again to Brighton by the late train. 
I met Rimmington in the hall of the hotel and we 
strolled into the manager’s office. Mr. Leon Grant, 
looking more tired than ever after his long day in town, 
was speaking passionately down the telephone. 

44 It is absurd,” he declared, as we came in. 44 I spoke 
from the number I am asking for, several times this 
afternoon. The telephone is in perfect order.” 

44 If you are speaking of Mayfair 1532, Mr. Grant,” 
I intervened, 44 1 am afraid the supervisor is correct. 
The number is disconnected.” 

His face, as he looked at us, grew horrible. The 
receiver slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, 
dragging the instrument after it. 

44 What do you mean? ” he gasped. 


136 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ Simply that Scotland Yard disconnected your flat 
in town, for fear you should ring up and find out that 
the case of wine you brought up to London has been 
opened,” I explained. “ Rimmington, this is your job.” 

Rimmington was quick, but not quick enough. 
Grant’s right hand was in the drawer by his side in a 
moment, and the silver-plated little revolver at his 
temple. I believe that he was a dead man before the 
inspector laid hands on him. I held the door whilst 
Rimmington telephoned for a doctor. He arrived al¬ 
most at once and his examination lasted barely a few 
seconds. 

“A clean job,” he pronounced. “The man must 
have died immediately.” 

Rimmington came to my sitting room, later on, and 
helped himself to a whisky and soda. 

“ A little secretive this morning, weren’t you, Sir 
Norman? ” he observed. 

“We wanted the jewels,” I pointed out. “ Directly 
the man told me he had a case of wine in the van, I 
knew that everything was all right.” 

“ When did you get his dossier? ” 

“ By the second post this morning,” I replied, “ and 
a pretty bad one it was. He has a flat in town under 
another name; he owes one bookie alone over two thou¬ 
sand pounds; and his domestic arrangements were, to 
say the least of it, irregular. He was desperately in 
need of money.” 

“ Even now the reconstruction isn’t absolutely 
simple,” my companion mused. “ Leon Grant evidently 


THE THREE MALEFACTORS 


137 


made his way to Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s rooms after 
her return; she woke up whilst he was making off with 
the jewel box, and he strangled her. But what about 
the two visits from Bloor, earlier in the evening, and 
the missing diamonds? I think you said that they 
were not in the jewel case which you have recovered? ” 

44 I imagine that the night watchman must have made 
a mistake,” I told him. 44 On the other hand, Bloor 
may have already disposed of the diamonds. Again, 
they may have been mislaid and will be brought in for 
the reward.” 

44 What first of all made you think of Grant ? ” Rim- 
mington asked, a little later, as he was preparing to 
take his leave. 

44 A very slight thing,” I answered. 44 The woman 
was strangled, as you know, although the fingermarks 
were undistinguishable. There was a scratch upon her 
throat, and a few drops of blood, evidently caused by 
the finger nail of the murderer. Now Sidney Bloor’s 
finger nails are bitten almost to the quick. The man¬ 
ager’s, on the other hand, were really noticeable. They 
were long and brought to a point. The nail on his 
right forefinger, however, was broken off short.” 

44 I see,” Rimmington replied. 44 Good night! ” 

I sat up for some little time, waiting for what I felt 
sure was inevitable. It was nearly one o’clock when 
there was a soft knock at the door and, in reply to my 
invitation, Janet entered. She was still fully dressed, 
her manner was as composed as ever. She closed the 
door behind her and came over towards me. 

44 1 have found the diamonds,” she announced. 


138 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 I congratulate you,” I replied. 

“ I have heard all that has happened,” she continued. 
46 There will be no trouble about the reward? ” 

44 None whatever,” I assured her. 

She laid them upon the table — the necklace, the 
bracelet and the earrings. 

44 Where did you find them? ” I asked. 

44 In the small silk bag which Mrs. Trumperton- 
Smith took with her to the bridge party,” she replied. 
44 She came back to her room for a moment just before 
starting, and must have taken them without saying 
anything to anybody.” 

44 A most ingenious supposition,” I murmured. 

She looked at me for a moment with the strangest 
light in her eyes. She had no need of speech. I knew 
perfectly well of what she was reminding me. I opened 
the door for her. 

44 Good night, Janet,” I said. 44 1 have stood in the 
way of your fortunes more than once. This time I am 
able to remind myself that Mrs. Trumperton-Smith is 
not my client. The reward will certainly be paid.” 


CHAPTER VI 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 

NORMAN GREYES 

I know nothing of psychology, or any of the mental 
or nervous phenomena connected with the study of this 
abstruse subject. What happened to me during the 
autumn following my visit to Paris remains in my mind 
unexplained and inexplicable. I shall just set it down 
because it becomes a part of the story. 

A strong man, in the possession of vigorous health, 
living an out-of-door life in a quiet country neighbour¬ 
hood, I suddenly became afraid. I had the strongest 
conviction that some terrible disaster was hanging over 
me. Every morning, when I took up my gun for a 
tramp or stepped into my car for any sort of an 
excursion, I felt a chill presentiment of evil. It was 
not that I lost my nerve. I was still shooting and 
playing golf as well or better than ever. I drove my 
car and went about the daily pursuits of life with an 
even pulse. My fears were unanalysable, and it really 
seemed as though they reached me through the brain 
rather than the nerves. I felt evil around me and I 
looked always for an enemy. I woke often in the night 
and I listened for footsteps, unafraid yet expecting 
danger. I altered my will and sent it to the lawyer’s. 


140 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Several matters connected with the letting of my farms 
I cleared up almost hastily with my agent. I was 
conscious of only one enemy in the world, and it was 
practically impossible that he should be in England. 
Yet I expected death. 

I was living at the time at Greyes Manor, the small 
but very pleasant country house which had come to 
me with my inheritance. My establishment was mod¬ 
erate, even for a bachelor. There was my housekeeper, 
Mrs. Foulds, who had been in the service of my uncle, 
an elderly lady of sixty-four, who had lived at Greyes 
all her life, was related to half the farmers in the 
neighbourhood, and was a pleasant, high-principled 
and altogether estimable person. Adams, her nephew, 
was my butler and personal servant. There was a boy 
under him, also of the district, a cook and three maid 
servants whom I seldom saw. The only other member 
of my household was Miss Simpson, a secretary en¬ 
gaged for me through a well-known office in London, to 
whom I dictated, for several hours a day, material for 
the work on Crime which I had made up my mind to 
write directly I had relinquished my post at Scotland 
Yard. She was a woman of about fifty years of age, 
small, with grey hair parted neatly in the middle, the 
only sister of a clergyman in Cambridgeshire, an agree¬ 
able and unobtrusive person, whom I invited to dine 
downstairs once a week, but whom I otherwise never 
saw except when engaged upon our work, or in the 
distance, taking her daily bicycle ride in the park or 
the lanes around. Out of doors there was Benjamin 
Adams, my gamekeeper, the brother of my butler; and 


141 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 

Searle, my chauffeur, who came to me from a place in 
Devonshire with excellent references, a simple-minded 
and almost over-ingenuous youth. These comprised 
the little coterie of persons with whom I was brought 
into contact, day by day. Not one of them could 
possibly have borne me any ill will, yet I lived amongst 
them, waiting for death. 

One morning — I remember that it was the first of 
November — I set out for a long tramp, accompanied 
only by Adams, the keeper, and a couple of dogs. We 
were on the boundary of my land, looking for stray 
pheasants in a large root field. On my right was a 
precipitous gorge which extended for about half a 
mile, thickly planted with small fir trees. I was walk¬ 
ing, by arrangement, about twenty yards ahead of 
Adams, when I was suddenly conscious of a familiar 
sensation. There was the zip of a bullet singing 
through the air, a report from somewhere in the gorge, 
a neat round hole through my felt hat. 

“ Gawd A’mighty! ” yelled Adams, leaping into the 
air. “ What be doing? ” 

I showed him my hat. He stood with his mouth open, 
looking at it. There was no further sound from the 
gorge except the tumbling of the stream down at the 
bottom. It was an absolutely hopeless place to search. 

“ We’ll be getting home, Adams,” I said. 

“ There be some rascal about, for sure,” the man 
gasped, gazing fearfully towards the gorge. 

“ As he can see us,” I pointed out, “ and we certainly 
shall never be able to see him, I think we’ll make for the 
road.” 


142 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Adams complained sometimes of his rheumatism 
when I walked him too fast, but on this occasion he 
was a hundred yards ahead of me when we reached the 
lane. On our homeward way he was voluble. 

44 There be James Adams, my nephew,” he said, 44 and 
William Crocombe, who do farm them lands. They be 
harmless folk, if ever such were. Some lad, I reckon, 
have got hold of the roof-scaring rifle.” 

44 Do either of them take in tourists ? ” I asked. 

Adams was doubtful. That afternoon I motored 
over to make enquiries. Neither of the farmers ac¬ 
cepted tourists, neither of them had seen a stranger 
about the place, and as regards rifles, the only one I 
could discover had obviously not been discharged for a 
year. I drove on to the County police station and left 
a message for the inspector. He came over to see me 
that evening, solemn, ponderous and unimpressed. 

44 1 suspect some farmer’s lad were out after rabbits, 
sir,” was his decision. 

I showed him my hat. 

44 Farmers’ lads,” I pointed out, 44 don’t as a rule 
shoot rabbits with a rifle which carries a bullet that 
size. 

He scratched his head. The matter was certainly 
puzzling, but apparently without absorbing interest to 
him. 

44 Them lads be powerful mischievous,” he remarked, 
wagging his head. 

I dismissed him after the usual refreshments had 
been proffered and accepted. A few further enquiries 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 143 

which I myself made in the neighbourhood led to noth¬ 
ing. 

I took my little two-seater out to call on a friend, a 
few afternoons afterwards, and found the steering gear 
come to pieces before I had gone a mile. I was thrown 
into a ditch but escaped without serious injury. I 
scarcely needed Searle’s assurance to convince me that 
he knew nothing of the matter, but even in its damaged 
state it was quite obvious that the pins had been wilfully 
withdrawn from the pillar. The fact that I was a 
prisoner in the house for several days from an injury 
to my knee, and worked at unaccustomed hours, was 
responsible for my accidental discovery of Miss Simp¬ 
son’s diary. I came into the room unexpectedly and 
found her writing. It never occurred to me but that 
she was engaged upon my work, so I looked over her 
shoulder. She was writing in a diary, completing her 
entry for the day before: 

N.G. worked for two hours, practised golf in park, 
lunched in, took out two-seater in afternoon. Met with 
accident but was able to walk home. Said little about 
his injuries, which were not serious. Accepted invita¬ 
tion shoot Woolhanger Manor next Tuesday at eleven 
o’clock. Probably return across moor at dusk. 

Miss Simpson was suddenly conscious of my pres¬ 
ence. She placed her hand over the page. 

“ This is my private diary, Sir Norman,” she 
asserted. 

“ So I gathered,” I replied. “ What is your interest 
in my doings, Miss Simpson? ” 


144 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ A personal one,” she assured me. “ I appeal to 
you as a gentleman to let me have the volume.” 

I confess that I was weak. An altercation of any 
sort, however, ending, without doubt, in a struggle for 
the possession of the diary with this quiet-looking, 
elderly lady, was peculiarly repugnant to me. I rang 
the bell. 

66 1 shall order the car to take you to Barnstaple for 
the five o’clock train, Miss Simpson,” I said. 

She rose to her feet, grasping the book firmly. 

“ What is your complaint against me, Sir Nor¬ 
man? ” she asked. 

“ During this last week,” I told her, “ two attempts 
have been made upon my life. I am naturally sus¬ 
picious of people who keep a close account of my 
personal movements.” 

She stood for a moment looking at me through her 
gold-rimmed spectacles in a dazed, incredulous sort of 
way. Then she turned and left the room. I never saw 
her again. 

That same afternoon, on my return from the village 
where I had gone to post a letter with my own hands, 
I found a grey limousine touring car, covered with mud, 
outside my front door, and Adams announced that a 
gentleman was waiting to see me in the study. To my 
surprise and infinite satisfaction, it was Rimmington. 

“ I have this moment posted a letter to you,” I said, 
as we shook hands. 

“ Anything doing down here? ” he asked quickly. 

“ Too much for my liking,” I answered. “ What will 
you have — tea or a whisky and soda? ” 


145 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 

\ 

He accepted the tea and ate buttered toast in large 
quantities. 

44 I have come straight through from Basingstoke,” 
he explained. 44 The Chief rather got the wind up 
about you.” 

44 Tell me all about it,” I begged. 

44 I wish I could,” Rimmington replied, as he ac¬ 
cepted a cigar and lit it. 44 You read the papers, I 
suppose? ” 

44 Regularly.” 

44 You’ve seen what a hell of a time they’ve been 
having round New York? Eleven undiscovered mur¬ 
ders in ten days, and several million dollars stolen. 
The New York police have been working steadily for 
some time and made their coup last week. They made 
half a dozen arrests, but the head of the gang escaped.” 

44 A known person? ” I asked. 

44 Personally,” was the confident reply, 44 I don’t 
think there is the slightest doubt but that he is the man 
who has passed at different times as Thomas Pugsley, 
James Stanfield, and originally Michael Sayers. He 
has vanished from the face of the earth, so far as the 
New York police have ascertained, but they obtained 
possession of an uncompleted letter which he must have 
been typing at the time of the raid. The first page he 
probably destroyed or took with him. The second page 
refers to you. Here is a copy.” 

Rimmington withdrew from his pocketbook a half¬ 
sheet of paper and passed it to me. I read it slowly, 
word for word: 


146 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Things here have come to their natural end. The 
last fortnight has been productive, but there is danger 
in any further prosecution of our energies. There is 
only one man who stands in the way of my return to 
London. You know well of whom I speak. I wait day 
by day for your news of him, and hope to hear of no 
more blunders. See that the woman you know of, too, 
is carefully watched. She may be as loyal as she 
seems, but there are moments when I have had my 
doubts. If N.G. can be disposed of- 

44 Interesting,” I remarked, 44 very! To whom was 
the letter addressed? ” 

44 To a firm of leather brokers in Bermondsey,” Rim- 
mington replied, 44 and it was written on the note paper 
of a firm of hide brokers in New York.” 

44 The letter is from our friend, right enough,” I 
decided. 44 There have been two attempts upon my life 
within the last two days, and I have just sent away a 
secretary who was keeping a careful note of my 
doings.” 

We talked for an hour or more and arrived without 
difficulty at a common understanding. Rimmington 
undertook to send a good man down from Scotland 
Yard to make enquiries in the neighbourhood, and he 
promised also to trace my late secretary’s antecedents 
through the office from which she had come. In the 
meantime, he begged me to return to London with him. 
The suggestion was not at first altogether attractive 
to me. 

44 1 don’t like being driven away from my own home,” 
I grumbled. 44 Besides, there will be nothing for me to 
do in London at this time of the year.” 



THE WINDS OF DEATH 


147 


44 Greyes,” he said earnestly, 44 listen to me. You can 
play golf round London and get on with your book. 
You are far safer there than you would be in an un¬ 
protected neighbourhood like this. But apart from 
that altogether, we want you up there. This wave of 
crime in New York has ceased. Paris, too, is quieter. 
The Chief is profoundly impressed with the belief that 
it is because operations are being transferred to Lon¬ 
don. That odd sheet of letter which I have shown you 
confirms the idea. I am perfectly convinced in my own 
mind that we are going to be up against it hard within 
the next few weeks.” 

44 When do you want me to come? ” I asked. 

44 Back with me to-night,” he answered promptly. 
44 There is a full moon to-night, and my chauffeur 
knows every inch of the road. We can leave after 
dinner and breakfast in London.” 

44 Very well,” I agreed. 44 I will order an early din¬ 
ner and we can start directly afterwards.” 

I had told Rimmington of all the material things 
which had happened to me down at Greyes Manor, but 
I had not spoken of that curious sense of impending 
evil which had clouded my days, and the prescience of 
which had been so remarkably verified. We were 
scarcely crossing the first stretch of Exmoor, however, 
when the memory of it came back to me, and with the 
memory an overpowering return of the feeling itself. 
I filled a pipe, stretched myself out in a corner of the 
car, and set myself to fight this grim ogre of fear. It 
was no easy matter, however. All through the night I 
was haunted with fancies. The gorse bushes on the 


148 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


moors seemed like crouching men, the whistle from a 
distant railway station a warning of impending danger. 
In a small town-village before we arrived at Taunton, 
a man stood in the open doorway of his house, looking 
out at the night. He scanned us as we passed and 
turned away. Through the uncurtained window of his 
sitting room, I saw a telephone on his table. At 
Wiveliscombe, a man with a motor-bicycle stood silent 
as we passed. He leaned forward as though to see 
the number of our car. In ten minutes he raced past 
us, his powerful engine making the night hideous with 
its unsilenced explosions. Across Salisbury Plain, as 
we drew near Stonehenge, a cruelly cold wind was blow¬ 
ing. We drank from a flask which I had brought and 
wrapped ourselves up a little closer. At some cross¬ 
roads, high up in the bleakest part, another car was 
waiting, its lights out, its appearance sinister. We 
passed it, however, at fifty miles an hour, and the man 
who was its solitary occupant scarcely looked up at us. 
We passed through Amesbury, up the long rise to 
Andover, through Basingstoke, and settled down into a 
steady fifty miles an hour along wonderful roads. The 
moon was paling now, and there were signs of dawn; 
right ahead of us was a thin streak of silver in the 
clouds, slowly changing to a dull purple. Before we 
had realised it, we were in the outskirts of London, our 
pace gradually reduced, but still racing through the 
somber twilight. At Isleworth, just as we had passed 
under the railway arch, I felt the brakes suddenly ap¬ 
plied and thrust my head out of the window. We had 
come almost to a standstill, stopped by a stalwart 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 


149 


policeman who, notebook in hand, had been talking to 
the occupant of a touring car drawn up by the side of 
the road. He came up to the open window. 

66 Are you gentlemen going through to London ? ” he 
enquired. 

66 We are,” I told him. “ What can we do for you? 99 

The words had scarcely left my lips when I knew that 
we were in a trap. I realized it just in time to save my 
life. I struck with all my force at the ugly little black 
revolver which was thrust almost into my face. There 
was a report, a sharp pain at the top of my shoulder, 
and the revolver itself slipped from the man’s crushed 
fingers. I was within an ace of having him by the 
throat, but he just eluded me. The touring car was 
now passing us slowly, and he leaped into it, leaving 
his helmet lying in the road. A third man, who seemed 
to rise up from underneath our car, tore along and 
jumped in behind, and they shot forward, travelling at 
a most astonishing pace. Rimmington shouted to our 
chauffeur down the tube, with the idea of pursuing 
them. We started forward with a series of horrible 
bumps, and came almost immediately to a standstill. 
I sprang out. Both our back tyres had been stabbed 
through with some sharp instrument. In the distance, 
the other car had rounded the corner and, with scream¬ 
ing siren, was racing away for London. 

JANET 

It was towards the middle of October when I heard 
from my husband for the first time for many months. 


• I 

150 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

For a long time my luck had been atrocious. I lost the 
greater part of the money paid me for the recovery of 
Mrs. Trumperton-Smith’s diamonds by an investment 
in a small millinery business which I discovered too late 
to be already moribund. I had lost post after post for 
the same maddening reason. My looks had suffered 
through privation, and my shabby clothes were un¬ 
becoming enough, but if I had been Helen of Troj' her¬ 
self I could scarcely have evoked more proposals of the 
sort w T hich must bring to an end ordinary relations 
between employer and employee. My good resolutions 
began to weaken. I had almost made up my mind to 
appeal for help in quarters which would necessarily 
have meant the end of my more or less honest life, when 
one morning a young man who looked like a bank clerk 
was ushered shamelessly by my landlady into my bed¬ 
sitting-room. I was folding up a coat which I was 
going to take to the pawnbroker. I was not in a very 
pleasant frame of mind, and I was furious with my 
landlady. 

44 What do you want ? ” I asked coldly. 44 This is 
not a room in which I can receive visitors.” 

44 My visit is one of business, Madame,” he answered. 
44 Are you Mrs. Janet Stanfield? ” 

44 I am generally known by that name,” I replied. 

He opened his pocketbook and counted out two hun¬ 
dred pounds in bank notes upon the table. After my 
first exclamation, I watched him, spellbound. 

44 With the compliments of the bank manager,” he 
said, as he took up his hat and turned away. 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 151 

“ Who sent the notes? 99 I called out after him. 
“ What bank is it from? 99 

“ The bank of faith, hope and charity,” he answered, 
with a smile. “ Good morning ! 99 

He was gone before I could get out another word. 
I took up the notes greedily. I had done my best to 
live without my husband’s help ever since certain news 
as to his doings in America had reached me. For some 
reason which I did not myself altogether understand, I 
had, I thought, cut myself off from any association 
with him and his friends. Yet, in my present straits, 
my attempt at independence seemed hopeless. The 
money was a necessity to me. 

I paid my landlady and made her a present of my 
dilapidated wardrobe. I possessed the art of knowing 
how and where to buy things, and before lunchtime that 
day I was installed in a small flat in a residential suite 
situated in Albemarle Street, wearing clothes which 
were in keeping with my surroundings, and with an 
evening dress and cloak in reserve. My neck and throat 
and fingers were bare, for I had seen nothing of my 
jewellery since our ill-omened adventure in Paris. At 
five minutes to one, however, even this condition was 
amended. A youth from the hall porter’s office put a 
package into my hand which had just been left by a 
messenger. I opened it and found half-a-dozen familiar 
morocco cases. A portion of the jewellery which I had 
never thought to see again was in my hands. It was 
now clear to me that my husband had either already 
returned or was on the point of doing so, and that my 
help was needed. Nevertheless, three days went by 


152 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


without a sign or message from anybody, three days 
during which I lived after the fashion of a cat, curled 
up in warmth and luxury, clinging to the feel of my 
clothes, revelling in the perfumes of my bath, eating 
good food and drinking wine with slow but careful 
appreciation. I felt the life revive in me, the blood flow 
once more through my veins. During those three days, 
nothing in this world would have driven me back to my 
poverty. I would have committed almost any crime 
rather than return to it. 

On the fourth day I met Norman Greyes. I was 
leaving a hairdresser’s shop in Curzon Street when he 
swung round the corner of Clarges Street, carrying a 
bag of golf clubs and evidently looking for a taxicab. 
I was within a foot or two of him before he recognized 
me. I was conscious of a keen and peculiar thrill of 
pleasure as I saw something flash into his stern, un¬ 
impressive face. Enemies though we were, he was glad 
to see me. 

“ Good morning, Sir Norman,” I said, holding out 
my hand. “ Are there no more criminals left in the 
world that you take holiday? ” 

He smiled and put his clubs through the open window 
of a taxicab which had just drawn up by the side of 
the kerb. 

“ I am tired of hunting criminals,” he confessed. 
“ Besides, they are turning the tables. They are hunt¬ 
ing me.” 

“Indeed?” I answered. “That sounds as though 
my husband were coming back.” 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 


153 


44 There are rumours of it,” he admitted. 44 Are you 
staying near here? ” 

44 I am living at the Albemarle Court,” I told him. 
44 Why not have me watched? If he does come back, I 
am sure I am one of the first people he would want to 
visit.” 

44 It is a wonderful idea,” he agreed, with a peculiar 
gleam in his keen grey eyes. 44 I would rather bribe you, 
though, to give him up.” 

44 How much? ” I asked. 44 He has treated me very 
badly lately.” 

44 Dine with me to-night,” he suggested, 44 and we will 
discuss it.” 

I am convinced that Norman Greyes is my enemy, 
as he is Michael’s, and that I hate him. Nevertheless, 
he has a power over me to which I shall never yield but 
which I cannot explain or analyse. At the thought 
of dining alone with him, I felt a little shiver run 
through my body. He stood looking down at me, 
smiling as he waited for my answer. 

44 I shall be charmed, ” I assented boldly. 

44 At my rooms,” he suggested, — 44 Number 13. 
About eight o’clock? ” 

44 Why not at a restaurant? ” I asked. 

4(1 Out of consideration for you, ” he replied 
promptly. 44 You are probably more or less watched, 
and your movements reported to the organisation of 
which your husband is the Chief. If you are seen dining 
alone with me in a public place, they may imagine that 
you have come over to the enemy. ” 

44 You are most thoughtful, ” I replied, with all the 


154 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


sarcasm in my tone which I could command. “ I will 
come to your rooms then. ” 

He nodded quite pleasantly, raised his cap and 
stepped into the taxicab. I watched him for a mo¬ 
ment, hating him because he seemed to be the one 
person who had the power to ruffle me. He was 
dressed just as I like to see men dressed, in grey tweed, 
loose but well-fitting. He wore a soft collar, and the 
tie of a famous cricket club. His tweed cap was set 
just at the right angle. He moved with the light ease 
of an athlete. I hated his shrewd, kindly smile, the 
clearness of his bronzed complexion, the little humor¬ 
ous lines about his eyes. I went straight back to my 
rooms and wrote him a few impulsive lines. I wrote to 
say that I would dine with him at any restaurant he 
liked, but not in Clarges street, and that he could call 
for me at eight o’clock. 

At half-past three that afternoon, I received the 
invitation which I had been expecting, and at four 
o’clock *1 stepped out of a taxicab and entered the 
offices of a firm of solicitors situated in a quiet square 
near Lincoln’s Inn. An office boy rose up from be¬ 
hind a worm-eaten desk and invited me to seat myself 
on a hard, wooden chair whilst he disappeared in 
search of Mr. Younghusband, the principal partner in 
the firm. The office was decorated by rows of musty 
files, and a line of bills containing particulars of prop¬ 
erty sales, the solicitor in each case being the firm of 
Younghusband, Nicholson and Younghusband. After 
a few minutes’ delay, the boy summoned me and held 
open a door on the other side of the passage. 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 155 

“ Mr. Younghusband will see you, Madame,” he an¬ 
nounced. 

The door was closed behind me and I shook hands 
with a tall, elderly man who rose to welcome me in 
somewhat abstracted fashion. He was untidily but 
professionally dressed. He wore old-fashioned, steel- 
rimmed spectacles, reposing at the present moment 
on his forehead. The shape of his collar and the fash¬ 
ion of his tie belonged to a bygone generation. There 
were rows of tin boxes extending to the ceiling, a library 
of law books, and his table was littered with papers. 
He reseated himself as soon as I had accepted his 
proffered chair, pushed a thick parchment deed on one 
side, crossed his legs and looked at me steadily. 

“Mrs. — er — Morrison?” he began, using the 
name by which I had been known during the last few 
months. 

“ That is more or less my name, ” I admitted. “ I 
received a telephone message asking me to call this 
afternoon. 99 

“ Quite so, quite so , 99 he murmured, a little vaguely. 
“ Now let me see , 99 he went on, looking amongst some 
papers. “ Your husband appears to have been a 
client of the firm for many years, but my memory — 
or, here we are , 99 he broke off, drawing a slip of paper 
towards him. “ My instructions, cabled from New 
York, were to hand you the sum of two hundred 
pounds. You received that amount, I believe?” 

“ I received it and have spent the greater part of it, ” 
I replied. 

His expression became a little less benign. 


156 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ Dear me, dear me! ” he exclaimed. “That sounds 
rather extravagant. ” 

“ I have been without any means of support for 
many months, ” I told him. 

He scratched his upper lip thoughtfully. 

“Your husband has, I gather, been engaged in 
operations in New York of a delicate nature. The 
world of finance has always its secrecies. He appears 
now, however, to have brought his operations to a close. 
You are aware, perhaps, that he has landed in Eng¬ 
land? ” 

My heart gave a little jump. I could not tell 
whether the sensation I experienced had more in it 
of joy or of fear. 

“ Is he safe? ” I asked. 

“ Safe? ” Mr. Younghusband repeated, a little 
vaguely. “ Why not ? 99 

There was a moment’s silence. I looked around at 
the shabby but imposing contents of the office, at the 
lawyer’s mildly puzzled expression. I drank in the 
whole atmosphere of the place, and I was dumb. Mr. 
Younghusband suddenly smiled, and tapped with his 
forefinger upon the table. He was like a man who has 
seen through a faulty phrase in some legal document. 

“ I apprehend you, ” he said. “ For a moment I 
was not altogether able to appreciate the significance 
of your question. New York is a curious place, and 
I understand — er — that the financial operations in 
which your husband has been concerned, although 
profitable, may have made him enemies. He travelled 
back to England, indeed, under an assumed name. Let 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 


157 


me see, I have it somewhere, ” he went on, fumbling 
once more amongst a mass of papers. 44 1 had it in my 
hand only a few minutes ago. Here w T e are — Mr. 
Richard Peters. I am instructed to say, Madame, that 
your husband would welcome a call from you. ” 

44 You have his address? 99 

For the moment Mr. Younghusband looked vague 
again. Then, with a little smile of triumph, he turned 
over the slip of paper v r hich he held in his hand. 

44 His address, ” he repeated. 44 Precisely! I have 
it here — Number 11, Jackson Street. ” 

44 Mayfair? 99 I enquired. 

64 Mayfair , 99 he assented. 44 The address reminds 
me, Madame,” he went on, 44 that you must be prepared 
to see your husband — not in the best of health. He is, 
in fact, in a nursing home. 99 
44 Is he seriously ill?” I asked. 

44 I believe not , 99 was the deliberate reply. 44 You 
will have an opportunity of judging for yourself 
within half an hour. I am to ask you to visit him as 
soon as you can find it convenient. ” 

I sat quite still. I was trying to get these matters 
into my mind. The lawyer glanced at his watch and 
immediately struck the bell in front of him. 

44 You will forgive me, Madame, ” he said rising to 
his feet. 44 I have a meeting of the Law Society to at¬ 
tend. My compliments to your husband. Tell him to 
let me know if I can be of further service to him . 99 

The boy was holding open the door. Mr. Young- 
husband, with a courteous, old-fashioned bow, evi¬ 
dently considered the interview at an end. I went back 


158 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

to my taxicab, a little bewildered, and drove at once 
to Jackson Street. A nurse in starched linen frock 
and flowing cap consulted a little slate and led me to a 
bedroom in one of the upper storeys. 

“ Mr. Peters is getting on famously, Madame, ” she 
announced encouragingly. “ The doctor hopes to be 
able to let him out at the end of the week. Please step 
in. You can stay as long as you like. Your wife is 
here, Mr. Peters, ” she went on, ushering me through 
the doorway. 

She closed the door and I advanced towards the 
bedside, only to step back with a little exclamation. I 
thought that there must be some mistake. The man 
who sat up in bed, watching me, seemed at first sight 
a stranger. His hair, which had been dark, was now of 
a sandy grey, and he wore a short, stubbly moustache 
of the same colour. His cheeks had fallen in, his fore¬ 
head seemed more prominent, there was an unfamiliar 
scar on the left side of his face. 

“ Michael!” I exclaimed incredulously. 

“ Capital!” he replied. “You see no resemblance 
to Mr. James Stanfield? ” 

“ Not the slightest,” I assured him. “ The whole 
thing is wonderful. But what is the matter with you? 99 
“ Nothing , 99 was the impatient rejoinder. “ I have 
had to starve myself to get thin. I took the place and 
the name of a business acquaintance upon the boat. It 
was quite a smart piece of work. I am supposed to be 
suffering from a nervous breakdown. Bosh! I haven’t 
a nerve in my body. 99 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 


159 


“ You left me alone for a long time, ” I reminded 
him. 

“ I was fighting for my life, ” he .answered grimly. 
44 You don’t know the inner workings of the game, so 
I can’t explain. I was hemmed in. As soon as I broke 
away, they were never on to me again. I brought off 
the coup of my life in New York, but — things went 
wrong, Janet. You know what that means. ” 

I watched his face whilst I listened to him speak. 
The man was reestablishing his strange ascendancy over 
me, but for the first time I felt the thrill of fear as he 
spoke. 

44 You killed some one? ” I whispered. 

44 I had no intention of doing anything of the sort, ” 
he answered. 44 It was Hartley, the banker, himself. 
He forced me into a fight at close quarters. We ex¬ 
changed shots. I was wounded. So was he. He was in 
miserable health, though, and he never recovered. The 
shock killed him as much as anything. I got away all 
right, but it means all or nothing for the future. ” 

44 If you have enough, ” I suggested, 44 why not try 
the other end of the world? ” 

His thin lips curled scornfully. 

44 1 have thought of everywhere, ” he answered, 44 of 
Indo-China, the South Sea Islands, New Guinea, the 
far South American States. They are all hopeless. 
The eyes follow. There is safety only under the shadow 
of the arm. ” 

44 What about our meeting? ” I asked. 44 I am 
known. ” 

44 It is a problem to be solved, ” he said slowly. 


160 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“There is risk in it, yet the thought of parting with 
you, Janet, is like a clutching hand laid upon my 
heart. ” 

It was the first word of the sort he had ever spoken 
to me, and again for some reason I shivered. 

“ What is your need of me now? ” I demanded. 

“ To get rid of Norman Greyes, ” he replied. 

There was a silence during which I felt that he was 
studying my face, and although I do not believe that a 
muscle twitched or that my eyes lost their steady light, 
still I was thankful for the darkened room. We heard 
the subdued noises of the house, the distant hum of 
vehicles, every now and then the sharp honk of a motor 
horn. In the tops of the trees just outside, some birds 
were twittering. 

“ I have figured it all out, ” he went on. “ I am safe 
here, safe except from that one man. Even as I am 
now, he would recognise me. The moment I move, and 
there are big things to be done here, I shall feel him on 
my trail. It is his life or mine. ” 

“ Why do you think that I can do this ? 99 I asked. 

His lips curled once more in the faintest of mirthless 
smiles. 

“ Because, although he does not know it, Norman 
Greyes feels your attraction. He is too strong a man 
to succumb, but he can never resist dallying with it 
because it provides him with something new in life. 
You suggest to him a sensation which he obtains 
nowhere else. I know men like books, Janet, and I 
have seen these things. ” 

“Do you know women, too? ” I ventured. 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 


161 


44 Sufficiently, ” he answered. 

44 How do you propose that I should do this ? ” I 
asked. 

He raised himself a little in the bed. 

“ Norman Greyes, ” he said, 44 is one of those men 
whom it is hard to kill. A fool walks to his death. 
Norman Greyes wears the aura of defiance. They have 
tried during the last few weeks. One of the finest 
marksmen in England missed him with a rifle at a 
hundred yards. He is a reckless motorist, yet he 
drove a car with safety when the steering-wheel col¬ 
lapsed. Nevertheless, if he had stayed in Devonshire 
we should have had him. They tell me that he is in 
London. ” 

44 He is within a few yards of the spot, ” I announced, 
44 and I am dining with him to-night. ” 

For a moment his eyes flashed at me like steel caught 
in the sunlight. 

44 1 met him at the corner of the street this morning,” 
I explained. 

44 I ask no questions , 99 was the cold reply. 44 I shall 
know if you are ever faithless. A little present for 
you, Janet. 99 

He brought his hand from under the pillow and 
handed me an exquisitely chased gold box, a curio of 
strange shape and with small enamel figures inlaid. I 
exclaimed with delight. He touched the spring. It 
was filled with white powder on the top of which reposed 
a tiny powder puff. 

44 Be careful not to let any of the powder get near 


162 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

your mouth, ” he enjoined. 44 A pinch upon the food 
or in the glass is sufficient. Take it. 99 

I dropped it into the silk bag I was carrying. I 
was trying to tell myself that I had killed a man 
before. 

44 That half-ounce cost me one hundred pounds, ” he 
said. 44 Men scour the world for it. You can handle 
the powder freely. There is no danger until it gets 
into the system . 99 

44 And then ? ” 

44 It makes a helpless invalid of the strongest for at 
least two years. ” 

NORMAN GREYES 

I have come to the conclusion that in future I shall 
do well to avoid Janet Stanfield. As the cold, mechan¬ 
ical assistant of a master of crime, she interested me. 
I have even devoted a chapter of my forthcoming book 
to an analysis of her character. I am beginning to 
realise now, however, that even the hardest and cruellest 
woman cannot escape from the tendencies of her sex. 
In all the duels I have previously had with her, she has 
carried herself with cold and decorous assurance. 
There has never been a moment when I have seen the 
light of any real feeling in her eyes. Last night, how¬ 
ever, a different woman dined with me. She was more 
beautiful that I had ever imagined her, by reason of the 
slight flush that came and went in her cheeks. Her 
eyes seemed to have increased in size and to flash with 
a softer brilliance. We sat at a corner table against 


THE WINDS OF DEATH 


163 


the wall at Soto’s where the room was, as usual, filled 
with beautiful women. There was no one who attracted 
so much attention as my companion. There was no 
one who deserved it. 

* You think I am looking well? ” she asked, in reply 
to some observation of mine. 

“ Wonderfully, ” I replied. “ Also, if I may be al¬ 
lowed to comment upon it, changed. You look as 
though you had found some new interest in life. ” 

She laughed a little bitterly. 

“ Where should I seek it ? ” she demanded. 

“ Perhaps the change is internal, ” I suggested. 
“ Perhaps your outlook upon life is changing. Perhaps 
you have made up your mind to put away the false 
gods. ” 

“ I have travelled too far along one road, ” she 
answered hardly. 

It was at this stage in our conversation that I 
made up my mind that it were better for me to see this 
woman no more. Our eyes met, and she suddenly was 
not hard at all. I seemed to look into her soul, and 
there were things there which I could not understand. 
I was thankful that the dancing began just then. It 
helped us over a curious gulf of silence. Janet danced 
with little knowledge of the steps but with a wonderful 
sense of rhythm. I was ashamed of the pleasure it 
gave me to realise, as we moved away to the music, 
that this woman of steel had a very soft and human 
body. 

Janet was certainly in a strange and nervous state 
that evening. We danced for some time without rest- 


164 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


ing. Then she suddenly turned back to the table. I 
had paused for a moment to speak to some acquaint¬ 
ances. When I rejoined her she was pale, and the hand 
which was holding her little gold powder box was 
shaking. 

“Has anything happened?” I asked her, a little 
concerned. “Are you not feeling well? Perhaps the 
dancing-” 

“ I loved it, ” she interrupted. “ I am quite well. ” 

Yet she sat there, tense and speechless. I made up 
my mind to finish my coffee and go. I had raised the 
cup to my lips, even, when she suddenly swayed across 
the table, knocking my arm with her elbow. My coffee 
was spilt and the tablecloth was ruined. Janet began 
to laugh. For a moment she seemed to have a fit of 
breathlessness. Then, as she watched the cloth being 
changed, she became herself again. She had the air 
of one who had met a crisis and conquered it. 

“ I am so sorry for my clumsiness, ” she said peni¬ 
tently. “ Let us dance again whilst they rearrange the 
table. ” 

This time her feet moved less airily to the music. 
She seemed heavier in my arms. 

“Who gave you that beautiful gold powder box? ” 
I enquired, more for the sake of making conversation 
than from any actual curiosity. 

Something of the old light flashed for a moment in 
her eyes. Her reply struck me as curious. 

“ Satan, ” she acknowledged. “ I have made up my 
mind, however, to send it back. 99 



CHAPTER VII 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

MICHAEL 

I was at St. Pancras Station to meet Gorty and 
Metzger on their arrival in England. I saw the seven 
black tin boxes with brass clamps handed out of the 
guard’s van and placed on the roof of a taxicab. I 
knew as though it were foredoomed that the contents 
of those boxes would be mine before the week was out. 
I felt certain, too, that one at least of the two men 
would fight to the death before I obtained possession 
of them. They were well worth it, however. 

It was a foggy night, and I lingered with perfect 
safety on the outskirts of the little throng of people 
who had come to greet these two men. They were a 
rough lot, on the whole — democrats of the lowest type, 
swarthy and unclean. I saw hungry glances directed 
towards those black boxes, and I knew that, given 
sufficient cunning and address, I should not be the first 
by a long way to strike a blow for their acquisition. 
But of these others I had no fear. Gorty and Metzger 
knew their friends, knew them well enough not to trust 
them. 

I walked back through the fog to my humble little 
flat in Adam Street. Those were gloomy days, even 


166 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

for me who cared little about the physical comforts of 
life. I was passing as Mr. Arthur Younghusband, 
L.L.D., a cousin of the well-known solicitor of Lin¬ 
coln’s Inn, in town to consult works of reference at the 
British Museum. Day by day I walked to that gloomy 
mausoleum of dead knowledge, spent an hour or so 
there, and walked back to my rooms. No one dogged 
my footsteps. By devious ways I had shaken off all 
pursuit and suspicion. Yet life was a wearisome thing. 
I am not a man with many human weaknesses, but I 
should have welcomed a visit from Janet — a little 
dinner, perhaps, at the Cafe Royal, a peep into the 
world of many-coloured pleasures outside of which my 
path lay. These things, however, I knew were not for 
me. Janet was watched, as I knew beyond a doubt, 
and even if she were not, she had failed me in my last 
demand. Janet presented a problem presently to be 
solved. 

On the third day after the arrival of 
Metzger, I visited my solicitors, Messrs. Younghus¬ 
band, Nicholson and Younghusband, at Lincoln’s Inn. 
My reputed cousin accorded me an interview within a 
few minutes of my arrival. We spoke for a time of 
my studies and their progress. Then there was a pause. 
The door was closed, the walls of the room were thick. 

“Things progress?” I demanded, leaning across 
his wide, untidy table. 

Mr. Younghusband smiled benevolently. In these 
moments of direct speech I was accustomed to forget 
my assumed personality and to speak with all the quick 
incisiveness that was natural to me. My legal adviser, 



SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 


167 


however, never altered his manner of reply or deport¬ 
ment. He was always the same — unctious, legal, 
courtly. 

44 Your affairs are in excellent train , 99 he assured me. 
44 Of the two people in whom we are interested, one 
leaves, as we have surmised, for Manchester to-night, 
the other remains alone. 99 

44 They have made no arrangement with any bank 
yet ? ” 

My companion shook his head. 

44 They are both, under the circumstances, suspi¬ 
cious, 99 he said. 44 Their position, of course, is — er — 
peculiar. They are the custodians of a hundred thou¬ 
sand pounds in gold, with which they hope to establish 
a few private credits in this country. On the other 
hand, the country to which they belong owes us some¬ 
thing like a hundred times that amount. They have a 
somewhat natural fear that any bank with whom they 
might deposit their treasure might be disposed to hand 
it over to the Government, or that the Government, by 
some legal means, might attach it. 99 

64 Therefore , 99 I observed, 44 it remains in their 
rooms? 99 

44 Precisely! They consider it the lesser risk . 99 

44 And Gorty goes to Manchester to-night?” 

44 That is so, ” the lawyer murmured. 

44 So far all seems well, ” I said. 44 The great thing 
is that the gold has not been removed and that Metzger 
will be alone. There were other little details. ” 

44 Just so ! 99 Mr. Younghusband assented, leaning 
back in hi*s chair with his finger tips pressed together. 


168 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ So far as regards the setting of the affair, I think you 
will find it in order. Metzger and Gorty occupy suite 
Number 89 at the Milan Hotel, which suite consists, 
as you know, of two bedrooms, a bathroom and a sitting 
room. The sitting room is on the extreme right-hand 
side of the suite, and the gold is kept in Metzger’s bed¬ 
room, which opens from the sitting room. The bath¬ 
room is between the two bedrooms. ” 

44 1 have had the plan, ” I interrupted, a little im¬ 
patiently. 

Mr. Younghusband declined to be hurried. He had 
the air of giving difficult legal advice on a technical 
point. 

44 Suite Number 90, ” he continued, 44 consists of a 
bedroom, bathroom and sitting room only, and is oc¬ 
cupied by Mr. and Mrs. Jose de Miguel, very rich 
South Americans. They are leaving to-night by 
motor car for Southampton to catch the steamer there 
for Buenos Ayres in the morning. ” 

44 Their luggage is already packed ? ” I asked. 

44 Already packed, ” Mr. Younghusband agreed. 
44 The porters have commented upon its weight. ” 

44 And Madame? ” 

44 Appears to have fulfilled her task, ” was the some¬ 
what hesitating answer. 

I detected signs of uneasiness in my companion’s 
speech, and I questioned him about it promptly. 

44 Have you doubts of the woman? ” I asked. 

44 None whatever, ” Mr. Younghusband assured me 
blandly. 44 At the same time, she is, without a doubt, 
the weakest link in the chain. She has temperament 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 


169 


enough — Metzger seems to have been an easy victim 
— but I should have had more confidence in the lady 
who visited me the other day . 99 

“ I can no longer put complete faith in my wife, ” 
I replied coldly. 

Mr. Younghusband was startled out of his dignified 
serenity of manner. He leaned across the table. 

“ What do you mean by that ? ” he demanded 
harshly. “ Do you know that she has been here, the 
one place in London you should have kept her away 
from if you had any doubts ? 99 

“ I have no doubts whatever as to her fidelity, ” I 
declared. “ You know what I mean when I say that, in 
the parlance of our friends, she has gone soft. It is a 
pity. ” 

Mr. Younghusband seemed relieved but puzzled. 

“ A woman who could do what she did on the golf 
links at Woking , 99 he murmured reminiscently, “ must 
have changed very much if she merits your present 
criticism. 99 

The subject was not a pleasant one to me. I aban¬ 
doned it. 

66 In any case , 99 I reminded him, “ she is in touch 
with Greyes and he knows too much . 99 

66 Wonderful capacity for existence, that man, ” Mr. 
Younghusband remarked suavely. 

I am not a lover of harsh deeds. I seldom go out of 
my way to kill, or allow my subordinates to do so, if 
my ends can be obtained otherwise. At that moment, 
however, I felt a sudden resurgence into my brain of 
that one bloodthirsty desire of my life. 


170 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 As soon as this affair is safely concluded , 99 I said, 
44 and we are in funds again, I shall deal with Norman 
Greyes myself. ” 

44 It occurs to me that you would be well advised, ” 
my companion acquiesced. 44 The person in question 
possesses the one gift which might make him dangerous 
to us. He has imagination. 99 

I nodded. I was tracing figures upon the blotting 
paper, debating with myself different methods of deal¬ 
ing with Norman Greyes. 

44 Every channel which might lead to the firm of 
Younghusband, Nicholson and Younghusband , 99 the 
lawyer continued meditatively, 44 seems, so far as hu¬ 
man ingenuity could arrange it, permanently blocked, 
but a man with imagination who is not afraid to work 
on guesswork is always to be feared. 99 

44 It will not be my fault, 55 I promised, as I took my 
leave, 44 if you have any cause to fear Norman Greyes 
after the next month or so. 99 

That night, in the language of those forgotten war 
communiques, everything happened according to plan. 
At a quarter to nine, Metzger, who was writing alone in 
his sitting room, heard a soft knocking at the door 
which communicated with the adjoining suite. He rose 
promptly to his feet, locked the outside door of his 
own rooms, and softly withdrew the bolt. He stood 
there with an inviting smile upon his ugly face. 
Madame di Miguel laid a cautioning finger upon her 
somewhat overpainted lips, as she stole over the 
threshold. 

44 There is one hour that my husband will be away , 99 


171 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

she whispered, gliding past him. 44 You may kiss me. ” 
Metzger bent towards her. I moved noiselessly, but 
I think he would not have heard me if I had worn hob¬ 
nailed boots. The rest was easy, for it was a trick I 
knew well. He collapsed with scarcely a gasp. I 
tightened the cord a little and the deed was done. 

NORMAN GREYES 

It was entirely by accident that I had dined that 
night in the grillroom of the Milan Hotel with Rim- 
mington. He had asked me for an interview that 
afternoon over the telephone, and, being disengaged, 
I had suggested a little dinner at my club. We had 
arrived there to find the place packed and the best 
tables full. Sooner than w^ait, we had strolled down 
to the Milan and at a corner table there enjoyed a 
comfortable meal. Rimmington was in the act of dis¬ 
closing his reason for wishing to see me, when the 
manager, who was an old acquaintance of mine, stopped 
short on his hurried way through the room and came 
across to us. 

44 I wonder whether you would mind coming upstairs 
with me for a moment, Sir Norman, ” he begged, 44 and 
you too, Mr. Rimmington. I have just been sent for. 
Something seems wrong in one of the suites. ” 

We rose without hesitation and followed him out of 
the room, into the lift and up to the sixth floor. When 
we stepped out, several of the servants were gathered 
together at the further end of the corridor. The man¬ 
ager embarked upon a word or two of explanation. 


172 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 There may be nothing wrong at all, 99 he said. 
“ This is just the position as it has been reported to 
me. Suite Number 89 was taken some days ago by 
Metzger and Gorty, the two emissaries from our east¬ 
ern friends. They brought over some gold, as you 
know, in tin boxes, and, greatly against my advice they 
had it stored in their rooms. Gorty went to Man¬ 
chester last night, leaving Metzger alone. Our tele¬ 
phone operator reported that he refused to answer the 
telephone about half an hour ago. We sent up to his 
room and found it bolted on the inside. We rang and 
knocked without the slightest result. Finally we 
entered the suite through the adjoining room, which 
had just been vacated, and found that although the 
outer door was bolted on the inside, the suite was empty. 
Further, the tin boxes of gold had gone. ” 

44 Interesting , 99 Rimmington murmured, 44 very ! 99 

The manager led us along the corridor, through an 
empty bedroom which showed signs of recent vacation, 
into the suite which had been allotted to Messrs. Metz¬ 
ger and Gorty. It had a habitable air, newspapers and 
magazines lay about, whisky and soda and a bottle 
of liqueur stood upon the sideboard. There were no 
signs of any trouble, or disturbance of any sort. We 
walked through the sitting room, the two bedrooms and 
the bathroom, and the floor waiter, who had now joined 
us, showed where the boxes had been stacked. 

44 Is there any reason to suppose, 99 I asked, 44 that 
this man Metzger has not taken away the gold him¬ 
self ? 99 

44 In that case, ” the manager pointed out, 44 some one 


173 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

would have had to carry the cases downstairs. No one 
has done so. No one has seen Metzger leave the 
place. 99 

“ We are to presume, then, ” I observed, “ that he 
is still in the hotel? ” 

“ Precisely! ” 

You have had him searched for? 99 
“ Half a dozen men have searched every corner of 
the place, from the bars to the private rooms. Further¬ 
more, no one in the hotel has even caught a glimpse of 
him. ” 

I went through the rooms again. When I came to 
the bedroom adjoining the sitting room, and which the 
floor waiter told me was Metzger’s, I noticed that the 
wardrobe was locked. Not only that but there was a 
slight strain being exercised against the lock, bending 
the panel slightly. For the first time I began to look 
upon the matter as serious. 

“ This door must be broken open quickly, ” I in¬ 
sisted, “ or a spare key found. ” 

The key from the wardrobe in Gorty’s room was 
tried w T ith success. As it was turned, the door flew 
open. I was just in time to catch in my arms a 
crumpled mass of clothes and humanity. With a 
blackened face and protuberant eyes, his tongue lolling 
out on one side and a little froth at the corners of his 
mouth, it was still not difficult to recognise from his 
pictures the man who had refused to answer the 
telephone. 

“ My God! ” Rimmington exclaimed. “ He’s dead! ” 
“ He’s very near it, ” I replied, loosening the slipknot 


174 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

of whipcord from around his neck. 44 Send for a doctor 
at once, and, Rimmington, you had better ring up the 
Yard and get to work quickly. ” 

Rimmington at that moment justified my confidence 
in him. He wasted no time in exclamations or idle 
questions. He pointed to the door of the room through 
which we had entered. 

44 How long ago did those people leave? ” he asked, 
44 and what luggage did they take with them ? ” 

44 They left an hour ago, ” the floor waiter answered. 
44 They had two very heavy trunks. ” 

44 The affair appears to solve itself, 55 Rimmington 
muttered, after he had spoken a few hasty words down 
the telephone. 

The floor waiter, w T ho was an intelligent fellow, fol¬ 
lowed us into the other room, to which we had with¬ 
drawn on the arrival of the doctor. 

44 There is one thing I ought to tell you, sir, ” he 
said. 44 The porters tried to move those trunks several 
hours ago, while Mr. Metzger was busy writing in his 
room. They were too heavy then — and at that time 
the tin cases were still in Mr. Gorty’s room. 99 
44 You are sure of that? ” Rimmington asked. 

44 Absolutely, sir. ” 

Rimmington looked around. I could see that the 
same thought had occurred to him as to me. The brief¬ 
est of searches confirmed our suspicions. The ward¬ 
robe was filled with lumps of heavy stone. 

44 There is only one point now remaining to be 
solved, ” I observed, 44 and that is, did these two, Mr. 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 175 

and Mrs. Jose di Miguel, carry out this little affair 
entirely alone, or had they accomplices? ” 

44 They had a visitor about an hour before they left, 
sir , 99 the floor waiter told us. 

Rimmington took out his notebook. 

44 Description, please, ” he begged. 

44 I scarcely saw the gentleman myself, sir , 99 the man 
replied. 44 He seemed quite ordinary-looking. He wore 
glasses, and his hair was grey. ” 

44 Well, ” Rimmington said, as we descended to the 
ground floor to meet the men whom he had summoned 
from Scotland Yard, 44 we get it in the neck sometimes 
about our failure. This time, if we don’t get hold of 
Di Miguel and his heavy trunks, I should think we 
deserve all the censure we get. ” 

44 Nothing in it for me, I’m afraid, ” I remarked, 
as I bade him good night. 

44 It doesn’t look like it, ” he admitted. 44 However, 
one never knows. ” 

It was the unexpected which happened. Although 
Mr. Jose di Miguel and his wife could have had barely 
an hour’s start, and were handicapped by the posses¬ 
sion of two trunks of enormous weight, a week passed 
without any news of their arrest or of the recovery of 
any part of the gold. Metzger remained in a state of 
partial unconsciousness and could give no coherent ac¬ 
count of what had happened. Gorty returned from 
Manchester and behaved like a madman. He spent his 
time between Downing Street, where he boldly ac¬ 
cused the Government of having taken the gold, and 
Scotland Yard, where he expressed his opinion of the 


176 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


English police system in terms which made him, to say 
the least of it, unpopular there. In the beginning the 
whole affair had seemed most simple. Mr. and Mrs. di 
Miguel, distributing gratuities in most lavish fashion, 
had driven calmly away from the Milan at the ap¬ 
pointed hour, and had arrived at Waterloo in ample 
time for the train which they had planned to take to 
Southampton. When that train arrived at Southamp¬ 
ton, however, there was no one in it in the least answer¬ 
ing to their description, neither had any rooms been 
taken in the hotel, nor passages booked on the steamer. 
Curiously enough, too, none of the porters could re¬ 
member handling any particularly heavy luggage for 
that train, or attending upon any passengers answer¬ 
ing to the description of the two missing people, yet 
the man who drove the hotel ’bus to the station — an 
old servant and a man of excellent character — gave 
unfaltering evidence as to his having driven there, and 
having left his two passengers waiting on the pavement 
while a porter went for a barrow. 

I kept away from Rimmington for some time, for I 
thoroughly sympathised with his position. On the 
tenth day, however, he came to see me. 

“ Not so simple as we thought, ” he remarked, as he 
accepted a cigar and an easy-chair. 

“ Apparently not, ” I assented. “ What about the 
’bus driver? ” 

“ He’s been with the hotel company for seventeen 
years, ” Rimmington replied, “ has a wife and children 
and an excellent character. Besides, a score of people 
saw the ’bus in the station yard. ” 



SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 177 

“ And the man who visited them at the hotel at the 
last moment? ” 

We’re offering a hundred pounds reward for his 
discovery. Here’s his description. ” 

I read the typewritten sheet which Rimmington 
pushed across to me and returned it in silence. 

“ Suggest anything to you? ” my visitor asked. 

“ The description might apply to thousands, ” I 
answered, a little evasively. 

Rimmington stared gloomily into the fire. 

66 It might, ” he admitted. “ Do you know who I 
think it was ? ” 

“ No idea, ” I answered mendaciously. 

“ Your friend — Pugsley — Stanfield — or to go 
behind all his aliases and call him by his rightful name 
— Michael Sayers. ” 

“ Do you really believe that that man is in Eng¬ 
land? ” I asked. 

“ I do, ” was the confident reply. 44 He was chased 
out of the States, we have granted an extradition war¬ 
rant against him on the charge of manslaughter, we 
have w T atched every steamship at every port, yet I 
don’t mind confessing to you that we have reason to 
believe that he is in London at the present moment 
and in touch with his old associates. ” 

“ If that is so, ” I declared, “ I should imagine that 
the person who earns your hundred pounds will be 
able to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Mr. 
and Mrs. di Miguel. ” 

Notwithstanding Rimmington’s conviction, I started 
on no mad quest of my enemy. Indeed, I had no in- 


178 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


spiration as to where to commence my search. Janet 
had left Albemarle Court and had not replied to the 
various notes which I had written her. I had a vague 
idea that there was danger in prosecuting enquiries for 
her too closely. I had an idea, too, which was by no 
means vague, that I was being watched. There was 
always a loiterer of some sort or another in the street 
when I entered or left my rooms. I felt surreptitious 
eyes upon me often, when I lunched or dined or visited 
the theatre. Once I walked home late through Lans- 
downe Passage, and heard the patter of rubber-shod 
feet behind me. I swung around, and my pursuer, 
whoever he was, a burly but agile figure, took refuge in 
flight. When I regained the entrance to the passage, 
he was nowhere to be seen. There were other and smilar 
incidents. I had gone unarmed through the time of 
trouble in Ireland. I carried a revolver with me now, 
and I practised getting at it quickly. 

It was about three weeks after the attack upon 
Metzger and the disappearance of the gold, when I 
received a most unexpected visitor. I heard a shrill, 
foreign voice in the hall overriding my servant’s ob¬ 
jections, and a moment later, a man entered un¬ 
announced and evidently in a state of some excitement. 
He was small and of exceeding unprepossessing ap¬ 
pearance. His face was pitted with smallpox, he had 
wicked-looking teeth, a stubbly black moustache, a 
head of black hair as thick and upright-growing as a 
porcupine’s. He addressed me at once in broken 
English. 

“ You are Sir Norman Greyes?” he said. “I am 


179 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

Gorty. I came to this country of cutthroats with 
Metzger — with him who lies in the hospital. Will you 
listen to me? ” 

I motioned to Adams to leave us and wheeled round 
an easy-chair for my visitor. 

66 Sit down, ” I invited. “ I am glad to see you, 
Mr. Gorty, although I think you are a little hard upon 
us over here . 99 

“ What am I to think? ” he demanded fiercely. “ I 
come from a great but a poor Government. With much 
trouble we get together the gold with which to buy 
materials in this country and open credits. It is you 
who are supposed to be more civilised than any other 
country. I go to Manchester to speak at a meeting. 
I come back and what do I find? My comrade brutally 
assaulted, my country’s gold stolen! Yes, and that in 
the heart of your London — in the centre of your 
civilisation! What am I to think of you, then, as a 
people, I ask? ” 

“ It was a most unusual crime, ” I told him, “ but 
you must remember that you were taking grave risks 
in having a large amount of gold like that unguarded 
in your room. The police, however, are doing- 99 

u The police? ” he almost shrieked. “ Your police? 
They are imbeciles — imbeciles or rascals — I know 
not which! And as to having the money unguarded, 
how could we help it? There are many banks in Lon¬ 
don who say we ow r e them money. What would have 
happened if I had deposited my gold there? They 
would surely have annexed it. And as it is, do you 
believe that it is an ordinary thief who has robbed us? 




180 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


No! I say no! Or if it is a thief, it is one whom your 
precious police can lay their hands on when they choose, 
and when they do so, what will happen? The gold will 
be claimed by your Government. ” 

44 I am afraid, 99 I said, 44 that you are taking a very 
extreme view of things. However, under the circum¬ 
stances I cannot blame you for feeling ill-used. Tell 
me what brings you here ? ” 

44 Ten years ago, ” he went on, suddenly calmer, 44 I 
was in the service of the police of my country. There 
was an anarchist plot. Three criminals escaped to 
London. You were at Scotland Yard and I came to 
see you. You found me those criminals. ” 

44 1 remember it perfectly , 99 I answered, “ but you 
have changed your name. ” 

44 It was necessary , 99 he admitted. 44 In my country 
one changes one’s name frequently. But you I remem¬ 
bered. Mr. Rimmington spoke of you. I found your 
address. I am here. 99 

44 Tell me what to do for you? ” I begged. 

44 Find me my gold, ” he demanded. 44 Find me the 
man who attacked Metzger. ” 

44 If I could do that, ” I told him, 44 I should have 
done it long ago. I am only too pleased when I can 
help the police in their duties. 99 

He drew his easy-chair a little closer to mine. He 
eyed my box of cigarettes hungrily. I placed it by his 
side and handed him a match. He smoked furiously. 

44 Listen, ” he confided, 44 1 have a piece of evidence. 

I will not take it to the police. I do not trust them. 
You shall find me my gold. 99 


181 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

“ What is your piece of evidence?” I asked. 

“ The little grey man, ” he answered, “ the man 
whom they spoke of as visiting the South Americans in 
the next suite. Ah! those South Americans — I never 
trusted them! I saw Madame make eyes at Metzger. 
What need had she of Metzger? A woman like that 
has lovers enough. 99 

“ About the little grey man, ” I ventured. 

“ They speak of him in the evidence, ” Gorty went 
on eagerly. 44 He was at the suite that night. I saw 
him with Madame the South American, two days before. 
I know where he is to be found now. ” 

44 Why the devil haven’t you told the police? ” I ex¬ 
claimed. 44 That is the one man they are looking for. ” 
My visitor narrowly escaped a paroxysm. He swept 
an ornament from the table by his side without noticing 
it. He gibbered for a moment like a madman. 

44 But have I not explained? ” he expostulated. 44 I 
do not trust the police. Six of those solemn constables 
would march up in uniform to the place I spoke of, and 
the little grey man would slip away. I tell you. You 
must find him and see who he is. You must consider 
how to act. The assault upon Metzger was bad, but it 
is the gold I want. ” 

44 Very well, ” I said, 44 tell me where to find him? 99 
<4 Go to the reading room at the British Museum 
between eleven and one o’clock, ” Gorty told me. 44 You 
will find him there, reading. I myself am a student. 
Twice I have sat at the next table. He is reading from 
some rare volumes the History of the Rosicrucians. ” 
44 Between eleven and one, ” I repeated. 


182 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ You will go? ” 

“ To-morrow morning, ” I promised. 

Gorty rose up. 

“ Listen, Greyes, ” he said, “ you, Sir Norman 
Greyes. Will you swear that if you recover my gold it 
comes to me? 99 

“ I swear it, ” I answered. 

“ Then through that man you will find it , 99 he de¬ 
clared. 

Gorty was right. The moment when, from my place 
of concealment, I saw him come shuffling into the read¬ 
ing room and take his place nearly opposite to me at 
the great round table, I knew very well that this was 
Michael. He carried with him two or three books, a 
volume of reference and a notebook. He had the ap¬ 
pearance of the most devout bibliophile, and indeed, 
having watched him for some time, I came to the con¬ 
clusion that he was in earnest about his labours. It 
was in these little ways that Michael achieved real 
greatness. Detail was a passion with him. He not 
only appeared to be deeply interested in the Rosi- 
crucian history. He had actually become so. 

I was, without doubt, at fault not to have at once 
passed on my information to Rimmington and to have 
had my old adversary arrested on one of the many 
previous counts against him. It seemed to me, how¬ 
ever, that this would bring to an end our chances of 
recovering the gold, and I could not ignore the fact 
that I was indebted to Gorty for the information which 
had delivered Michael into my hands. I therefore main¬ 
tained a strict watch and waited. For three days and 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 183 

three nights I knew Michael’s every movement. He 
made his own breakfast, lunched at a small restaurant 
near the Museum, and dined each night at the Monico, 
where he sometimes played dominoes for an hour after¬ 
wards, if able to find an opponent. On the fourth 
night, however, he departed from his usual practices. 
The young woman whom I had been employing to watch 
him came to me in haste. 

44 Our friend, ” she announced, “called at the Monico 
but took only an aperitif there. He walked across to 
Romano’s and has ordered a table and dinner for two. ” 

44 Whereabouts ? ” I asked quickly. 

44 Downstairs in the restaurant, on the right-hand 
side, ” she replied. 

I rang up Romano’s and engaged one of the tables 
in the balcony. In a quarter of an hour, I was en¬ 
sconced there behind the curtain, with Miss Rose Wes¬ 
ton, the young woman who had brought me the news 
of Michael’s change of plans, as my companion. She 
had found time to change into evening clothes, and 
she played her part exceedingly well. We should have 
passed anywhere as a very ordinary couple, indulging 
in a somewhat pronounced dinner flirtation. I kept 
my eye, however, on the table at which Michael was 
seated below, and in due course I was rewarded. A 
very elegant, quietly dressed woman came into the res¬ 
taurant and sank into the chair opposite. I saw at 
once that it was Janet. 

44 What you expected?” my companion asked 
quickly. 


184 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


44 In a sense , 99 I admitted. “Remember, when they 
leave, it is the woman you follow. 99 

I watched them closely from behind the curtain. 
There was no more distinguished-looking woman in 
the room than Janet, or more beautiful. She talked in 
a low tone to her companion, and her manner was 
often earnest. Nevertheless, she never smiled. She 
was different in that respect from every one of the 
diners by whom she was surrounded. There was not 
a suggestion about her of festivity. She ate moder¬ 
ately, drank sparingly, and talked. All the time she 
gave one the impression of a great weariness. To¬ 
wards the end of the meal, what I had been watching 
for happened. She opened her hand bag and passed 
something across the table. It was about the size and 
shape of an ordinary sporting cartridge, but I felt 
certain, from the way she handled it, that it was heavy. 
I knew then that we were on the right track. 

44 You are satisfied? ” my companion asked. 

44 Perfectly, ” I assured her. 44 1 am going to run 
no further risk of being recognised. I shall pay the 
bill and go. You will remain. Remember, it is the 
woman you must watch. Engage as much help as you 
require. She must be watched unceasingly. ” 

My companion nodded. 

44 It will not be difficult, ” she said. 

I took my departure, and at this stage of my search 
for the missing gold, I took Rimmington into my con¬ 
fidence. He agreed with me as to the advisability of 
allowing Michael to remain at large for the present, 
and so far as he was concerned, he satisfied himself 


185 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

with placing a strict watch upon the house in Adam 
Street where we had located him. I myself retired a 
little into the background, although I remained in the 
closest touch with Miss Weston. Her information 
was always interesting, always suggestive. The whole 
scheme gradually unwound itself. Rimmington and I 
found a certain delight in fitting the pieces together. 
He himself brought some valuable information, which 
he laid before me a few nights after the dinner at 
Romano’s. 

“ One of the out porters at Waterloo, ” he an¬ 
nounced, 66 seems to remember a small furniture van 
backed up against the pavement, some distance away 
from where the majority of the taxicabs were un¬ 
loading. ” 

“ He didn’t notice the name on it, I suppose? ” I 
asked. 

“ No such luck! There’s another thing, though. 
One of the old hands there told another of my fellows 
that he noticed several porters about that night whose 
faces were quite unfamiliar to him and whom he has 
not seen since. The driver of the ’bus from the Savoy 
insists upon it, as you remember, that Madame di 
Miguel pushed away the first porter who accosted 
them, and was determined to employ two of her own 
choosing. ” 

“ We have got so far, then, ” I pointed out, re¬ 
capitulating items of information which had been 
brought us. “ This pseudo South American and his 
wife drove up to Waterloo with three heavy cases. 
They were met there by confederates dressed in the 


186 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


uniform of railway porters, who probably took the 
boxes into the station and, choosing their opportunity* 
brought them out again and got them into the furni¬ 
ture van. The inference is that the gold is still in 
London. To proceed. What have we learned about 
Janet. She is staying in a boarding house in the 
Cromwell Road, frequented by artists. She spends an 
hour or two every day at the South Kensington Mu¬ 
seum, studying statuary. It is exactly four days since 
she brought a little specimen of some sort of work to 
Michael, something that, unless I am mistaken, was 
of considerable weight, for I noticed that her 
hand bag sagged as she walked up the restaurant. 
Further,-” 

The telephone bell rang. I recognised Miss Weston’s 
voice at the other end. I listened to what she had to 
say, and in ten minutes we were in my car and on the 
way to Twickenham. We picked up Miss Weston her¬ 
self in Kensington. 

“ The woman whom I have been following, ” she 
announced, “ is only a few minutes ahead of us. She 
is in a private car, and there is a strange man seated 
in front with the chauffeur. ” 

“ It looks well, ” Rimmington admitted. “ Our 
friend has ordered the same table for dinner to-night 
at Romano’s. ” 

On our way, I had a moment of uneasiness. A grey 
touring car passed us at a great speed and shot down 
the Brentford Road, considerably ahead of us. Rim¬ 
mington spoke for a moment through the tube, and we 
pulled up at the district police station. 



SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 187 

“We’ve given Michael rope enough,” he decided. 
“ He may get the alarm at any moment now. I’m 
going to have him arrested. ” 

I drew a little breath. It was hard to think that I 
should not be present at the end for which I had worked 
so zealously, but I realised the risk of letting him re¬ 
main at large any longer. I waited while Rimmington 
entered the police station and spoke to headquarters. 
When he returned, he brought with him a couple of 
plain-clothes men, one of whom sat in the front and 
the other with us. 

“ There will probably be half a dozen of them, 
“ Rimmington pointed out, “ and from what I know of 
the gang that Michael generally employs, there may be 
a little trouble. We’ll leave Miss Weston in the car. ” 
We turned off the main road at Twickenham, and 
finally stopped before the gates of a large, old-fash¬ 
ioned villa, badly out of repair and apparently empty. 
The grounds sloped down to the river and the gates 
were padlocked. We climbed over, leaving Miss Weston 
behind. She detained us for one moment. 

66 The house is called 4 The Sanctuary,’ ” she said. 
“ Goodson, the sculptor in bronze, lived here once. ” 
We hurried off. The place showed every sign of 
desertion, but there were marks of recent wheels upon 
the avenues, and as we turned the last corner we saw 
a thin cloud of smoke curling upwards from a long 
range of outbuildings which looked like a sort of annex 
to the kitchen. Rimmington quickened his pace. We 
all broke into a run. We avoided the front door, with 
its flight of stone steps, and went straight for the 


188 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


building which we now perceived to have been the studio. 
The door of a long outhouse stood open. We paused 
to look inside. There was a furniture van there, and 
inside some clothing of rusty velveteen or corduroy. 
The porters’ uniforms were accounted for. Entrance 
to the studio itself was gained by means of a stout 
oak door, obviously barred and bolted. We went round 
to the back, crossing a lawn where the grass and weeds 
were up to our knees. We failed to discover any other 
door, but somehow or other we found our way through a 
smashed window into the great room with its dome¬ 
shaped ceiling. I think, even as we entered, we realised 
that we were too late. The place was empty. A small 
forge was burning; there were several strange-looking 
vessels lying about the floor, the coffers, covered only 
by a piece of mat*ting which Rimmington kicked aside, 
were ranged against the wall. There was not a sound 
to be heard, but the place smelt of tobacco smoke, and 
indeed there was a faint cloud of blue smoke still hang¬ 
ing about the roof. 

“ We’ve lost them! ” Rimmington muttered. 

I thought of Gorty as I thrust by hand down 
amongst the gold pieces. 

“ We have the gold, though, ” I reminded him. 

“ And Michael, I trust, ” was the fervent rejoinder. 

We searched the house, which was empty and deso¬ 
late. Then we sent to the local police station and ar¬ 
ranged for the gold to be removed. Afterwards, we 
called on the house agent. He made a little grimace 
when we mentioned The Sanctuary. 

“ Thought I’d let it to a lady sculptor, ” he declared. 


189 


SEVEN BOXES OF GOLD 

(i She paid for the house for a month, to see whether she 
could work there — wanted to do her own casting or 
something. ” 

“ She paid you for the month, I hope? ” Rimmington 
enquired. 

“ Oh, she paid that all right, ” the agent replied. 

“ I wish these old places were all pulled down. They’re 
more trouble than they’re worth. ” 

44 Did the lady bring you any references ? ” I asked. 

44 I didn’t ask for any, ” the house agent replied 
frankly. 44 I was only too glad to get any one even 
to talk about the property. Besides, she put the money 
down. ” 

44 Nevertheless, ” Rimmington said quietly, 44 as a 
person who has had some experience in these matters — * 
I am Inspector Rimmington of Scotland Yard — I 
should advise you to be a little careful how you deal 
with these large, old-fashioned houses. In the present 
case, you may be interested to know that the little forge 
in the studio at The Sanctuary has been used for the 
purpose of melting down Russian gold. ” 

44 God help us! ” the agent cried. 44 What, the 
Gorty and Metzger gold ? ” 

44 Precisely, ” Rimmington acquiesced. 44 They’ve 
only got rid of a little of it, as it happens, but, to 
judge from the preparations, they were going more 
extensively into it in a day or two. ” 

We drove back to London, and I followed my friend 
into his private room with a rare thrill of excitement. 

I saw his face grow white and stern as he listened to 


190 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


the report of the man who rose to meet him. Then he 
turned to me. 

44 The rooms in Adam Street are empty, ” he said. 
44 Stanfield has not visited the British Museum to-day. 
We’ve lost him again! I ought to have known better, ” 
he added bitterly, 44 than to have let him remain at 
liberty for a single moment. ” 

44 And the woman? ” I asked, a little nervously. 

Rimmington shook his head. 

44 We don’t want her, ” he said. 44 She’s Just the 
decoy who may some day whistle her mate to his cell. 
It’s a knock for us, Greyes. Neither Di Miguel nor 
his wife nor Michael Sayers! ” 

44 But we have the gold, ” I reminded him once more. 

44 Damn the gold! ” Rimmington retorted profanely. 

But Gorty thought otherwise. So, when he recov¬ 
ered consciousness, did Metzger. 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 

JANET 

This, as near as I can remember, is a copy of the 
letter I received that wonderful third day of March: 

137 Golden Square , 
London , W.C. 

Dear Madam , 

We beg to inform you that , under the will of 
the late William Soale, gardener , of Mayford, 
Surrey , you are entitled to a legacy of £250, 
free of duty. 

As the estate is so small , and the assets are 
chiefly in War Loan , we are in a position to pay 
you that sum at once , if you will favour us with a 
call , or your instructions. 

Faithfully , 

Haskell fy Hames. 

No one could possibly realise what that money 
meant for me. I had been working for months at a 
small dressmaker’s in Kensington, earning barely 
enough to keep myself, slinking to work in the morn¬ 
ing* and slinking home at night, terrified alike of 
Michael, the man whom I had once loved, and of Nor¬ 
man Greyes, the man who, without the slightest effort 
on his part, had attained such a strange and com- 


192 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

manding influence over my thoughts and life. And 
now for a time, at least, I was free. With two hundred 
and fifty pounds, I could escape from London and hide. 
None of the obvious places appealed to me in any way. 
After a great deal of consideration, I took a first- 
class passage to Marseilles, in the name of Janet 
Soale, on the slowest P. & 0. boat I could find. 

I spent a moderate sum in replenishing my wardrobe, 
sewed a hundred-pound note into my bodice, and started 
on my adventure. The first few days were wonderful. 
I found all that I craved for in my new surroundings — 
freedom from the sordid necessities of daily work, and 
an indescribable sense of exhilaration, born of the huge 
spaces, the roaring wind and the sting of the spray. 
As soon as the sun began to shine through the grey 
clouds of the English Channel, I felt something stirring 
in my heart — a sort of passionate content which crept 
through my whole being as the skies grew clearer 
through the Bay of Biscay and the sun went down in 
a clear glory of amber and gold. There was so much 
that was beautiful in life of which I knew nothing — 
and I was so anxious to learn. 

I had made no effort to secure any special place in 
the dining saloon. Consequently, the seat apportioned 
to me was in a somewhat remote corner, and my com¬ 
panions of that negative type who seem born to prom¬ 
enade the decks of steamers, point out perfectly obvious 
porpoises and passing ships to their fellow passengers, 
and apparently disappear at the end of the voyage 
from the face of the earth. It was what suited me best. 
Day by day I breathed in an atmosphere of repose. 


193 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 

Then the natural thing happened. My interest in life 
began to revive. I was young and strong. The sun¬ 
shine, the salt air, the complete change did their work. 
I made some slight change in my toilette one night 
and arranged my hair differently. Half a dozen people 
made an excuse to come and talk to me that night on 
deck. I had as many offers of an escort to view the 
sights when we landed at Gibraltar on the following 
day. Men, however, made no appeal to me. I pre¬ 
ferred to join a small party, mostly composed of 
people who sat at my table. 

We wandered about the place in the usual disjointed 
fashion, striving to assume the tourist’s intelligent in¬ 
terest in the jumble of Spanish remains, modern forti¬ 
fications, burnous-clad Moors and preternaturally 
withered Spaniards. We gaped at the shop-windows 
and bought the usual variety of useless articles. It 
was here for the first time that I felt a momentary im¬ 
pulse of sadness. Picture postcards were of no use to 
me. There was not a soul in the world who was inter¬ 
ested in my comings or goings. With me acquaintance 
seemed to spell tragedy. 

Finally, we wandered into the hotel for tea, served 
in a lounge which one of my travelled companions 
described as the very Mecca of spurious Orientalism. 
The room had a glass roof but no windows. It was 
adorned with artificial flowers rearing their heads from 
brass pots, marble-topped tables and plush furniture. 
None of these things impressed me at the time, for a 
very adequate reason. I was steeped in amazement 
at something I saw in the face of the woman who had 


194 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


been its solitary occupant before our coming. She was 
moderately young, quietly but expensively dressed, of 
small but graceful figure and with large dark eyes. It 
was none of these personal characteristics, how¬ 
ever, which compelled and riveted my attention. It 
was the fact that from her corner in the darkened room 
she was glaring at me with an expression of intent 
and deliberate malignity. To the best of my belief I 
had never seen her before, yet it was a clear and un¬ 
mistakable fact that in this hotel room at Gibraltar I 
had suddenly come into contact with a woman who 
hated me. 

We somehow or other found places at a table. My 
immediate neighbour was an elderly American gentle¬ 
man who had once or twice spoken to me on the voyage, 
but who seemed to spend most of his time seeking for 
ex-business associates. He had, he told me, been a 
manufacturer of boots and shoes in a place called 
Lynn. His name was Frank Popple. 

44 Say, are you acquainted with the lady in the 
corner? ” he asked curiously. 

I shook my head. 

44 1 have never seen her before, ” I assured him. 

44 Is that so?” he replied incredulously. 44 I guess 
she isn’t partial to strangers, then. Didn’t you notice 
her looking kind of fierce? ” 

44 1 thought that she had probably mistaken me for 
some one else, ” I said. 

Mr. Popple appeared to find the surmise possible. 

44 Fiery-tempered lot, these foreigners, ” he re¬ 
marked. 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


195 


I received a further shock about an hour later, when 
I found the same woman ensconced in a corner oi the 
tender which was to take us back to the steamer, sur¬ 
rounded by two much-belabelled steamer trunks, a 
dressing case, hat box, and other feminine impedimenta. 
She scowled at me sullenly when we came on board, and, 
acting entirely on impulse, I walked straight across 
to her. 

“ Have I offended you in any way? 99 I enquired. 
“ It seems to me that we are strangers? 99 

She looked at me steadfastly. Her face, which nor¬ 
mally must have been soft and pretty, had become hard 
and cold. Her eyes still told their tale of hatred. 

“ You are Janet Stanfield, are you not? 99 she asked. 

“ That is certainly my name, ” I admitted, more 
puzzled than ever. “ How do you know it? 

She looked at me in doubting silence. The sun was 
pouring down upon us. The strange, foreign odour of 
the place, pungent but fascinating to me in its novelty, 
was in my nostrils. On the quay, a ruffianly-looking 
Spaniard, with olive cheeks, jet-black hair and flashing 
eyes, was singing a sweet but sensuous melody. In the 
background, one heard from across the harbour the 
sad chant of the Lascars as they bent over their toil 
on the deck of an outgoing steamer. All these things 
became mingled with my impressions of the moment. 

“ I have seen your picture, ” she said gloomily. 

“ Where?” 

“ In New York. He carried it with him. 99 

She turned deliberately away, as though determined 
not to enter into any further conversation. I found 


196 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

her unsociability to some extent a relief, but when I 
stepped on board again my blessed peace of mind was 
gone, I relapsed into my former frame of mind and 
endeavoured to keep away from every one. Mr. Popple, 
however, refused to accept my plain hints. He dragged 
his chair over to my corner on deck. 

“ Mrs. Louisa K. Martin, that lady’s name, ” he 
informed me, “ comes from way out west, beyond Mil¬ 
waukee. She is getting out at Marseilles. ” 

“ I had forgotten all about her, ” I replied men¬ 
daciously. 

Mr. Popple scratched his chin thoughtfully. He was 
a large man, clean-shaven, with a ponderous jaw but 
kindly eyes, with little creases at the side. He seemed 
a little hurt at my lack of confidence. 

I’d give her a wide berth if I were you, ” he ad¬ 
vised. “ Travelling about as much as I do, I’ve got 
kind of used to taking stock of people’s expressions, 
and the way she looked at you was real mean. ” 

I declined to continue the conversation and an¬ 
nounced my intention of going to bed. As I entered the 
music room on the way to my cabin, there was a cur¬ 
ious cessation of conversation. Mrs. Louisa K. Martin, 
who was seated in an easy-chair, very becomingly 
dressed in black, with a long rope of pearls around her 
neck, looked at me with steady insolence. I walked 
straight up to her chair. I knew that she had been 
saying things about me and I was furious. 

“ Are you meeting my husband at Marseilles, Mrs. 
Martin? ” I asked her. 

I was sorry for the question directly the words had 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 197 

left my lips — sorry for her, too, in a way. She 
turned deathly pale, and if looks could have killed I 
should have been a dead woman. She made no answer 
at all. I waited for a moment and then passed on to 
my stateroom. 

It must have been about ten o’clock that night when 
I heard a soft tapping at my door. I guessed at once 
who it was, and I guessed rightly. It was Mrs. Louisa 
Martin, wrapped in a dressing gown and with slippers 
on her feet. She closed the door carefully and she put 
her fingers to her lips. 

44 We must be careful, ” she whispered. 44 You were 
mad to speak of Michael openly. ” 

44 Of my husband? ” 

She laughed contemptuously. 

44 He married me years before you, ” she replied, 
44 and another before either of us. ” 

I turned away from her that she should not see the 
hate in my face. Some conviction of this sort had 
been growing upon me of late. 

44 When two women love the same man, ” Louisa 
Martin continued, 44 they should forget everything 
when he is in danger. I don’t see love in your face, ” 
she went on. 44 Then why are you here? ” 

44 1 see no reason why I should discuss that or any 
other subject with you, ” I answered, 44 but as a matter 
of fact I had no idea that Michael was in Marseilles. ” 
I thought that she would have struck me. The fire 
of unbelief blazed in her eyes. 

44 What are you doing on this steamer, then?” she 
demanded. 


198 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

44 I came for a holiday trip, ” I told her. 

She leaned a little towards me. In the unshaded light 
of the cabin her face seemed wan, almost aged. 

“ Listen, ” she said, 44 this is a matter of life or 
death for Michael. You heard through some one of 
his being in Marseilles. Tell me through whom? ” 

44 1 swear that I had no idea he was there, ” I re¬ 
peated. 

44 You fool!” she exclaimed. 44 Can’t you see that 
you are probably followed — that the police are mak¬ 
ing use of you? ” 

44 You are in the same position yourself,” I re¬ 
minded her. 

44 Indeed I am not, ” she assured me earnestly. 44 I 
was born in Marseilles. I have travelled there 
repeatedly. I know every corner and stone of the 
place. It was I who taught Michael that it was the 
finest hiding place in the world for the educated crim¬ 
inal. It was I who took him where he is now. ” 

Our conversation was suddenly interrupted in a 
very unexpected fashion. My stewardess entered, with 
a thin blue strip in her hand. 

44 Wireless for you, Mrs. Soale, ” she announced, 
addressing me by the name under which I had booked 
my passage. 

44 For me? ” I repeated incredulously. 44 There must 
be some mistake. Nobody know^s that I am on board. ” 

44 It’s Mrs. Soale, right enough, ” the stewardess 
assured me. 44 There’s no one else of that name amongst 
the passengers. ” 

I tore open the envelope. My companion watched me 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 199 

with glittering eyes. She could scarcely wait until the 
stewardess had departed. 

66 You liar! ” she hissed. “ You see what you have 
done! You have laid a trail for the police to follow 
from London to Marseilles. ” 

She poured out abuse. I heard nothing. My whole 
attention was fixed upon those few words, staring at 
me from the telegraph form: 


Dombey 31sf March Genesis Louise 

I felt her wrist suddenly grip mine. She read the 
message over my shoulder. 

66 Get the code, ” she whispered hoarsely. “ Quick!” 

“ What code? ” I demanded. “ I don’t know what 
you’re talking about. ” 

I suppose she must have been convinced at last, for 
she dropped my wrist and hurried to the door. 

“ Wait here, ” she ordered, snatching the message 
from my hand. 

There was a heavy swell that day, and I was glad to 
sit down upon my bunk. She returned in a very few 
moments. Her cheeks were flushed. She handed me 
back the message. Underneath it she had pencilled the 
interpretation: 

Danger 97 it must be dealt with promptly Louisa. 

I looked at it and shook my head. 

“ I suppose I am a fool, ” I admitted, 66 but I can’t 
understand a word. ” 

“ You are a fool, ” she agreed. “ No wonder Michael 


200 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


never trusted you with a code! It means that some one 
dangerous must be travelling in stateroom Number 97, 
who must be dealt with promptly by me — Louisa — 
my name. Do you understand now? 99 

44 But how could Michael know that I was on the 
steamer, and why should he have sent this message to 
me instead of to you? ” I demanded. 

44 The Chief of Police at Marseilles has a copy of 
every passenger list of steamers leaving London and 
calling at Marseilles, forwarded overland, 99 she replied. 
44 Michael has a friend in the Bureau. It is possible 
that I am being watched. He knew quite well that I 
should find you out, and that I should be of more use 
than you were likely to be. Now to discover who is 
travelling in stateroom Number 97. 99 

She called to the steward, who was passing outside. 
He unhooked the door and looked in. 

44 Steward, can you tell me the name of the gentle¬ 
man in Number 97? 99 she enquired. 

He shook his head. 

44 That’s the other side of the ship, Madame . 99 

She held out a treasury note. 

44 Please find out , 99 she begged. 

He was back again in less than a minute. 

44 Mr. Popple, Madame — an American gentleman, ” 
he announced. 

Even as he spoke, we heard a familiar and resonant 
voice outside. 

44 1 put his plant down at a hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars, and I cleaned up the deal. Some 
push down our way, sir ! 99 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 201 

Mr. Popple passed on. The woman whose name was 
Louisa stood looking at me. 

“ From the first I suspected him, ” she whispered. 

He must be Bill Lund, from Chicago. This com¬ 
mercial traveller business is his stunt. ” 

44 What are you going to do? ” I asked. 

She smiled in a peculiar fashion. 

44 Obey Michael, ” she answered softly. 

The next morning, Mr. Popple came over and talked 
to me again. He had shown me from the first a con¬ 
siderable amount of attention, but his conversation 
had always been of the most ordinary kind. This 
morning, however, in the midst of a discussion on 
ladies’ footwear, he broke off and addressed me in 
different fashion. 

44 So you’re making friends with the woman who 
looked as though she wanted to bite your head off at 
Gibraltar, ” he remarked. 

44 I shouldn’t have said so, ” I replied cautiously. 

44 She was in your stateroom last night, wasn’t she? ” 
he queried. 

44 For a moment or two, ” I admitted. 44 Why not? ” 

He watched the smoke from his cigar thoughtfully. 

44 1 guess you’ve common sense enough to take a 
word of advice, ” he said. 44 Here it is. Keep out of 
it. ” 

44 Keep out of what ? ” I demanded. 

He shrugged his shoulders. 

44 That’s a fine shoal of porpoises, ” he observed, 
looking over the side of the ship. 44 1 don’t know as 
I’ve ever seen a finer in these waters. ” 


202 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ In other words, ” I ventured, smiling- 

“ Incident closed,” he declared. 66 Maybe I’ve 
opened my mouth too wide, as it is. ” 

But as a matter of fact he had not. The last few 
days had seen a wonderful change in me. I scarcely 
knew myself, scarcely realised the new thoughts with 
which I lived, the slow falling away of the spurious 
fancies which life with Michael had fostered. These 
few days, freed from the constant environment of the 
city, with its sordid tasks and obligations, solitude in 
the great spaces, with the sea and the w T ind and the 
stars, had been like a tonic to my soul. In plain words, 
my association with Michael had become loathsome to 
me. I was filled with a passionate desire to start life 
again as an honest woman. 

So, although I knew now for certain that Mr. Popple 
was a detective, I said no word of this to Louisa, even 
though, during the next few hours, I witnessed an 
amazing development of their acquaintance. They sat 
together for several hours, and Louisa’s beautiful eyes 
seemed every moment to become more eloquent. With¬ 
out a doubt, she had made up her mind to captivate 
him, and to all appearance she w T as succeeding. I w r as 
walking up and down the deck with the doctor, and 
we heard scraps of their conversation as we passed — 
an assignation for the morrow evening at Marseilles, 
proposed boldly enough by Mr. Popple, and assented to 
by a timorous but eloquent flash of the eyes by Louisa. 
After dinner they took their coffee out on deck. Their 
heads were even closer together, their voices dropped. 
People, as they passed, began to smile. It was obvious 



THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


203 


that an affair was in progress. I was surprised, 
therefore, to hear Mr. Popple suddenly address the 
doctor, who had joined me again for a few minutes. 

44 Just one moment, Doc. ” 

We stopped at once. Mr. Popple seemed to rise 
with difficulty to his feet. 

44 Guess I am sick, Doc. Just step round to my 
stateroom with me for a moment. ” 

Mr. Popple, suddenly very pale, swayed on his feet 
and clutched at the doctor’s arm. I expected every 
moment to see him collapse. We all turned to Louisa. 
She shook her head, apparently as bewildered as the 
rest of us. 

44 We had just finished our coffee, ” she explained, 
44 when Mr. Popple, who had been talking a great deal, 
became silent. He spoke of a pain in his head and I 
thought he seemed queer. Then he called out to the 
doctor. That is all I know about it. ” 

By degrees the others melted away. I sank into Mr. 
Popple’s vacant chair. As soon as we were alone, Mrs. 
Louisa Martin looked at me covertly. There was a 
flash of triumph in her half-closed eyes. 

44 So! ” she murmured. 44 I do not think that Mr. 
Popple will follow me about Marseilles. ” 

44 Do you mean that you have poisoned him?” I 
gasped. 

She looked at me with a queer little smile. 

44 Some, ” she said, 44 prefer to shoot. I choose the 
way of safety. ” 

Then I knew that Michael had told her everything. 


204 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

In that moment, all that I had ever felt of love for him 
turned to hate. 

We entered the harbour at Marseilles late on the 
following morning and drifted down on our way to the 
dock. The sun was shining, and the heat, now that we 
had left the breezes of the open sea, was almost un¬ 
bearable. It was a morning of acute sensations. I 
remember everything — the pungent odours of the har¬ 
bour, the smell of fresh tar, of a cargo of dried onions, 
a passing whiff of fragrance from the baskets of the 
flower women on the quay. We stood leaning over the 
side, waiting, prepared to land, but waiting for the 
gendarmes at the further end of the gangway, to give 
the word. Suddenly I felt a little thrill pass through 
my whole body. Notwithstanding the hot sunshine, I 
was so cold that I felt myself shivering. Leaning with 
his back to one of the wooden pillars was a man with 
tanned, almost swarthy skin, lean-faced, with a hungry, 
wolf-like droop of his thin lips. He was shabbily 
dressed, even for a labourer, with brown overall, ragged 
blue trousers, boots devoid of laces and a soiled tweed 
cap. It was more than a disguise — it was a metamor¬ 
phosis — yet I knew Michael, and although he never 
glanced again in my direction, I knew that he had 
recognised me. I did then what was, under the cir¬ 
cumstances, a foolish action. I made my way to where 
Louisa was standing and I touched her on the arm. 

“ Look there,” I said, directing her attention cau¬ 
tiously towards the lounging figure. 

She looked at him for a moment without interest. 
Then suddenly the change came into her face. Her lips 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


205 


were a little parted, the colour was drained from her 
cheeks, her eyes were filled with the anticipation of evil 
things. She clutched at my arm. 

“ There is danger,” she muttered. “ He has been 
obliged to fly. Alas! our week at the Villa exists no 
longer.” 

A moment afterwards there was a movement towards 
the gangway. I followed the others off the ship, and 
w r aited until a magnificent-looking functionary, smell¬ 
ing of garlic, had made mystic signs with a piece of 
chalk upon m}^ modest trunk. The porter shouldered 
it and turned to me for instructions. 

“ A carriage to the Hotel Splendide, ” I directed. 

I was on the point of entering it w r hen I felt a touch 
upon my arm. 

“ He insists upon seeing you,” she w r hispered, in a 
low tone. “ Where are you going? ” 

“ To the Hotel Splendide,” I told her, with a sinking 
heart. 

“ I shall fetch you to-night at six o’clock.” 

“Why does Michael w r ant to see me?” I asked re¬ 
luctantly. 

“ One does not ask Michael questions,” she answered, 
with a sneer. “ You should have found that out by this 
time.” 

I felt as though an ugly cloud w r ere looming over this 
wonderful holiday of mine, and I spent a restless and 
unsatisfactory afternoon. At six o’clock, Louisa 
fetched me in a small fiacre, and we drove slowly and 
with horrible jolts into one of the foulest seafaring 
slums one could imagine. I knew nothing at the time, 


206 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

but I discovered afterwards that it was a region of evil 
repute throughout not only Marseilles but throughout 
Europe, a region of myriad pungent odours, a tawdry 
medley of cafes, flaunting women, and rollicking groups 
of drink-inflamed men. I began to feel fear. 

44 Where are we going? ” I demanded. 

46 To the only place where Michael can hide in 
safety,” Louisa replied. 44 Even the police of Mar¬ 
seilles would scarcely dare to seek him here.” 

44 It is not fit for us,” I muttered, with my eyes fixed 
upon the streets. 

Louisa sneered. 

44 It is clear that you were never the woman for 
Michael,” she rejoined. 

We stopped at last at the end of a dark and narrow 
street, a place so squalid and unsavoury that I hesi¬ 
tated to leave the vehicle. Louisa, however, elbowed 
me out and half pushed, half conducted me along an 
entry, with a high wall on either side, a slimy place with 
the swish of waves distinctly audible. At the extreme 
end, she pushed open a door on the left-hand side. We 
found ourselves in a cafe of the poorest class, with 
sanded floors and iron tables. A woman, fat and with 
a hideous face, stood behind the bar, and whenever I 
desire to think of something horrible, I think of the 
stealthy, vicious faces of the men who first glared and 
then leered at us as we crossed the threshold. 

Louisa went straight to the woman behind the bar 
and whispered in her ear. The woman, who had at 
least three or four chins, nodded ponderously and 
smiled, showing a row of yellow, discoloured teeth. She 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


207 


glanced cautiously around the place, as though to make 
sure that no stranger was amongst her clientele. Then, 
with a fat, beringed finger, she beckoned us behind the 
counter, and led us down some steps, along a passage, 
into a sombre and fearsome-looking apartment, tawd¬ 
rily furnished, with a cracked gilt mirror upon the 
mantelpiece, walls reeking with damp, and some violet 
plush chairs of incredible shabbiness. In the corner 
was a bed, and upon it Michael was seated, still in his 
disguise of a French ouvrier, but with a new look upon 
his face — the hunted, desperate look of a man at bay. 
What I read in his eyes as the woman, with an evil 
chuckle, left us, made my blood run cold. I had the 
feeling that I was trapped. 

“ You devil! ” he said to me slowly and menacingly. 
“ It is you who have brought your damned lover police¬ 
man here! ” 

“ It is false,” I replied. “ I came to Marseilles for 
a holiday only.” 

“ A holiday! ” Michael repeated bitterly. 

“ A holiday! ” the woman almost shrieked. “ Hear 
her! But listen,” she added, with a terrible smile. 
“ There is time yet to show you how Michael and I 
deal with informers! ” 


NORMAN GREYES 

During the third week of March, after a somewhat 
restless few months of travel in Egypt and Algeria, I 
reached Monte Carlo to find a telegram from my friend 


208 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Rimmington, begging me to come at once to Marseilles. 
I realised that there could be but one reason for such 
a request, and in less than twelve hours I found myself 
with Rimmington and Monsieur Demayel, the Chief of 
the Marseilles Police, ransacking the contents of a 
small villa in the suburbs of Marseilles, which had 
lately been the scene of one of those crimes for which 
the place was fast gaining an unenviable notoriety. 

I had had no conversation with Rimmington, and I 
had no idea why my help had been sought in this case, 
which appeared to have no special characteristics. The 
late inhabitant of the villa, a man of over seventy years 
of age, had been found twenty-four hours before, suf¬ 
fering from severe wounds about the head and in a state 
of collapse. He was lying in a neighbouring hospital 
and was unlikely to recover. This much, however, was 
clear. He had been robbed of a large sum of money, 
the possession of which he had foolishly bragged about 
in a neighbouring cafe, and there seemed to be but 
little doubt that the theft had been committed by a 
band of ill-doers who for the last few months had been 
the terror of the neighbourhood. We went through 
the usual routine of examining the means by which 
entrance had been forced into the house and hearing 
the evidence of the local gendarmerie. Afterwards we 
drove, in silence, to the Police Headquarters, and it 
was in Monsieur Demayel’s private room there that 
Rimmington at last explained what had been puzzling 
me so much. 

“ You know, of course, Greyes,” he began, “ what 
my having sent for you means? 99 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


209 


“ Michael, I hope? ” 

Rimmington nodded. I could tell by the gleam in 
his rather cold grey eyes that he believed the end to be 
near at last. 

“ We traced him to Paris, 55 he said, “ and afterwards 
here. Almost immediately, as Monsieur Demayel will 
tell you, there was not only an increase in the number 
of crimes in the district, but there were evidences of a 
master mind behind them all. Crime here had become 
brain-controlled. Monsieur Demayel told me, an hour 
or so ago, that thefts to the value of over eleven 
million francs had been committed within the last two 
months.” 

“ And the connecting link? ” I questioned. 

“ Eight days ago,” Rimmington said, watching me 
closely, 66 Janet Soale sailed from Tilbury for Mar¬ 
seilles. The woman who was Michael’s companion in 
New York, who goes by the name of Louisa Martin, 
after travelling from America to Havre, joined the 
same steamer at Gibraltar, having evidently chosen a 
circuitous route to avoid suspicion. Those two women 
are both on their way to Marseilles — they are due to 
arrive, in fact, to-night — and will be closely watched. 
Furthermore, I think that Monsieur Demayel can show 
you something of interest.” 

Monsieur Demayel placed a leather-bound volume 
before me and pointed to an entry. 

“ This,” he explained, “ is a small collection of 
dossiers which have never been verified.” 

I read the few lines quickly: 


210 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Henri Guy, French-Colonial, bachelor, 5 ft. 6 inches, 
morose, grey hair and beard, physical appearance de¬ 
scribed elsewhere, address Villa Violette, Bandol. Has 
large correspondence, subscribes to English News¬ 
papers, amongst which “Golf Illustrated.” Has small 
car and has been seen on Hyeres Golf Links. 

“ And finally? ” I asked. 

“ The person in question,” M. Demayel continued, 
“ is reported to have changed at the Casino at Bandol 
last evening one of the mille notes stolen from the 
house w r e visited this afternoon.” 

I glanced at my watch. 

66 How far is it to Bandol? ” I enquired. 

“ Forty-seven kilometres,” the Chief of the Police 
replied, “ and we should have been there by now but 
my friend Mr. Rimmington here insisted upon waiting 
for you.” 

I asked only one question on the way. 

“ You spoke of Janet Soale as coming out on the 
boat,” I said to Rimmington. “ That was her name 
before she married Michael.” 

Rimmington nodded. 

“ For some reason or other she has renewed it. It is 
possible that she has discovered something about 
Michael which I have suspected for some time.” 

I controlled my voice as well as I could. I did not 
wish even Rimmington to know how much this meant 
to me. 

“ What do you mean? ” I asked. 

“ I believe,” he replied, “ that Michael was married 
many years ago to this woman, Louisa Martin. Janet 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 211 


Soale may have got to know of this. She may be com¬ 
ing out to try and discover the truth. It is certain 
that for many months she has not been in communica¬ 
tion with Michael.” 

The Chief of the Police gazed thoughtfully out of 
the window. 

“ It is a curious circumstance,” he remarked, “ in 
the lives of most of the great criminals of modern days, 
that their end has been brought about by their exciting 
the jealousy of women. Here are two at the present 
moment on their way to Marseilles to visit the man 
whom you call Michael. Louisa Martin has been fol¬ 
lowed from New York by a United States detective who 
has been hunting Michael for years, and it was Janet 
Soale’s visit to Marseilles which changed suspicion into 
conviction with our friend Rimmington here. My pre¬ 
decessor used always to say, 6 Give the man rope. Fol¬ 
low the woman.’ ” 

We reached Bandol just before dusk and found the 
Villa Violette on the outskirts of the town; a secluded 
little house, built amongst some rocks on the extreme 
edge of the bay. We left the car in the road and took 
the path which led to the front door. Our summons 
was at once answered by a stout, good-humoured-look¬ 
ing French woman, who shook her head regretfully 
when we enquired for Monsieur Guy. 

“ Monsieur is out in his automobile,” she told us. 
“ He may return at any moment or perhaps not at all 
to-night. It is most unfortunate. The gentlemen will 
leave a message? ” 


212 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ We will come in and wait for a little time,” De- 
mayel suggested. 

The woman did not remove her portly form from 
the threshold. 

“ That, alas, Monsieur, is impossible! ” she declared. 
44 My master receives few visitors and he would not 
suffer any one in the house.” 

Monsieur Demayel touched her on the shoulder. He 
was looking curiously into her face. 

44 Madame,” he said, 44 I am Chef de la Surete of 
Marseilles, and I go where I choose. Furthermore, it 
seems that your face is familiar to me.” 

She shrunk away. There was a malign look sud¬ 
denly in her dark eyes. 

44 Chef de la Surete! ” she muttered. 44 But who has 
done wrong here? ” 

We searched the sitting room and dining room of 
Monsieur Henri Guy and we found nothing that might 
not have belonged to a French Colonial who had made 
a small fortune in sugar. But in his bedroom, covered 
over with a sheet and hidden behind a cupboard, I 
found a prize indeed. I found the golf clubs which 
Stanfield had used when he had played against me at 
Woking. I drew from the bag the putter which had 
sealed my defeat and, even in that moment of triumph, 
I felt a little thrill of pleasure when I realised its per¬ 
fect balance. 

44 Our search is over,” I pronounced. 

44 Our search is not over,” Rimmington reminded me, 
44 until we have found the man.” 

We were there altogether for half an hour, during 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 213 

which time we searched the place closely. The small 
garage was empty and Rimmington pointed out the six 
or eight empty tins which had evidently just been used. 

44 Filled up for a journey,” he remarked. 44 I don’t 
think that we shall see anything of our man to-day.” 

We announced our intended departure. The house¬ 
keeper, who now seemed certain of her master’s imme¬ 
diate return, did her best to persuade us to linger. 
Monsieur Demayel cut her short. 

44 Madame,” he said, 44 you will be so good as to con¬ 
sider yourself under surveillance. I shall leave a gen¬ 
darme in the house with you. To-morrow you will be 
examined. In the meantime, make no attempt to com¬ 
municate with anybody.” 

The woman was no longer the smooth-tongued, re¬ 
spectable domestic. She burst into a torrent of furious 
complaints and abuse, relapsing into a French argot 
which was absolutely incomprehensible to me. Monsieur 
Demayel listened to her thoughtfully. Then he turned 
to the gendarme who had accompanied us from Mar¬ 
seilles on the front seat of the car, and whom he was 
leaving behind. 

44 Do not let this woman out of your sight,” he 
ordered. 44 She is of the Maritime Quartier, where I 
suspect her master is in hiding by now.” 

The gendarme saluted and laid his hand upon the 
housekeeper’s shoulder. Suddenly she burst into a fit 
of laughter and pointed up the avenue. 

44 It is monsieur who returns,” she announced. 44 Now, 
what will you say to him — you who have ransacked 


214 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

his rooms and upset his house! Chief of the Police, 
indeed! La la ! ” 

We stood by the front door and I for my part was 
amazed. An elderly gentleman of highly respectable 
appearance drove up in a small Citroven car and lifted 
his soft black felt hat to us courteously. 

44 Good evening, gentlemen,” he said. 44 You are pay¬ 
ing me a visit ? ” 

44 You are Monsieur Guy? ” Demayel enquired. 

44 That is certainly my name,” was the prompt reply. 

44 And this is your house? ” 

46 1 rent it subject to your pleasure, gentlemen.” 

He descended from the car and looked from one to 
the other of us enquiringly. I knew better than any 
other what a past master Michael was in the art of 
disguises, but I knew very well that this was not he. 
Rimmington’s eyes met mine. We were both agreed. 

44 My name is Demayel,” the Chief announced. 44 I 
am the Chef de la Surete in Marseilles. You will be so 
good as to answer me a few questions.” 

44 Chef de la Surete! ” the newcomer repeated, and if 
his amazement were feigned, it was very well feigned 
indeed. 

44 But certainly! You have lived here for how 
long? ” 

44 For ten months, Monsieur.” 

44 You changed a mille note at the Casino yester¬ 
day ? ” 

44 1 certainly did.” 

44 From where did you obtain it? ” 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 215 

“ From my desk, Monsieur. It has lain there for 
weeks.” 

I ventured to ask a question on my own account. 

44 This is your only car? ” 

44 But naturally,” was the prompt response. 44 There 
is no room in my garage for more than one.” 

I excused myself for a moment and returned with 
the bag of golf clubs. 

44 These are perhaps yours? ” I asked him. 

He shook his head. 

44 They were left by a former tenant,” he replied. 
44 1 know nothing of their use.” 

I turned into the garage and wheeled out one of the 
rubber tyres which were ranged against the wall. 

44 If you have no other car,” I asked him, 44 how is it 
that all the tyres in your garage are like this one — 
two sizes larger than those on the Citroven you were 
driving? ” 

He hesitated and turned his head. He knew then 
that it was the end. The gendarme was returning with 
a fat little man, who wore no coat and waistcoat and 
reeked of garlic. 

44 This man keeps the cafe at the corner,” the former 
announced. 44 He knows his neighbour Guy well.” 

44 Is this Monsieur Guy? ” Demayel asked. 

The innkeeper was more than emphatic; he was 
vehement. 

44 Upon my soul, no! ” he declared. 44 Monsieur Guy 
I know well. This gentleman is a stranger. Monsieur 
Guy left this morning in his car for Paris, one heard.” 

Demayel turned to the pseudo Monsieur Guy. 


216 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ Well? ” 

The man shrugged his shoulders. 

“ I have done what I was paid for,” he said sullenly. 
“ I am at your disposal, gentlemen.” 

“ Close the place up,” Demayel directed the gen¬ 
darme, “ and take this woman and the man to Mar¬ 
seilles. Nothing more will happen here. As for us,” 
he went on, turning to Rimmington and myself, “ we 
must now await the arrival of the steamer in Marseilles 
to-night. One of the two women, if not both, will lead 
us to the man we seek.” 

We dined that night, Rimmington and I, in a remote 
corner of a great bustling restaurant, receiving more 
than our due share of attention owing to the fact that 
Monsieur Demayel had himself telephoned and ordered 
the table. The latter had promised to join us for 
coffee, but, before we reached that stage of our repast, 
we were surprised to see him coming hastily towards 
us, followed by a tall, bearded man of military bearing. 
Demayel was a man of imperturbable expression, yet 
it was obvious that he brought news. 

“ Messieurs,” he said, as he sat for a moment at our 
table, “ a grave thing has happened. Let me explain 
briefly. The young man who has acted as my secretary 
for five years has absconded. It is proved that he has 
been in league with a great criminal organisation ever 
since he has held his post. It is he, without a doubt, 
who warned the man whom you call Michael. Worse 
than that, his report to me that the Carlyon would 
not reach dock until to-night, was a lie. She arrived 
this morning and landed her passengers this afternoon. 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 217 

My plans for having those two women watched have 
been rendered abortive.” 

A surge of nameless fears suddenly rose up in my 
heart. I pictured Janet in danger. I did not believe 
that she had come to Marseilles to rejoin Michael. I 
half rose to my feet but Demayel waved me back. 

44 Listen,” he continued. 64 This much we know at 
present. The English woman went first to the Hotel 
Splendide. At six o’clock this evening she was called 
for by the other woman and they drove off alone. They 
were shadowed, fortunately, by Lund, the American 
detective who followed Louisa Martin over, and who 
reports that his life was attempted last night. This 
woman Martin, it seems, has an evil reputation. She 
has been in prison twice in her younger days in Paris, 
and she was tried for murder seven years ago. She is 
desperately cruel but of desperate courage. Lund re¬ 
ports that there is ill blood between the two women. 
He is convinced that the English woman, Janet Soale, 
as she called herself on the steamer, has been decoyed 
into some place to meet Michael.” 

44 How far did he follow them? ” I asked. 44 Where 
is he now? ” 

44 He followed them into the worst quarter of Mar¬ 
seilles,” Demayel replied, 44 but, as soon as he dis¬ 
covered their destination, he had the good sense to 
return for aid. They are in the one quarter of the city 
which I have not yet succeeded in clearing. We have 
hesitated many times when on the point of attempting 
a coup here. To-night the attempt shall be made.” 

44 Let us start! ” I exclaimed eagerly. 


218 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


We moved towards the door. 

66 1 deeply regret,” Demayel announced, 44 that this 
is an adventure on which I cannot accompany you. If 
I were to show myself in the Quartier, I should not only 
endanger your lives but I should of an absolute cer¬ 
tainty forfeit my own. Monsieur Santel here,” he 
added, turning to his companion, 44 will take command 
of the expedition. Lund is in one of the cars outside. 
A sufficient force of gendarmes have already penetrated 
secretly into the Quartier. It remains only for me to 
wish you good fortune.” 

In the car which we found waiting for us, we passed 
from the broad thoroughfares of the city to a region 
of increasing squalor and ugliness, along boulevards 
whose cobbled stones were littered with refuse, where 
the men and women who sat at their windows became 
more and more repulsive. The gaiety of the city was 
succeeded by a sombre silence. There was no music in 
the cafes, no laughter from the lips of the women. One 
seemed to read in those hungry, unwashed and painted 
faces one common characteristic — greed. Furtive 
eyes followed our automobile lustfully because it meant 
wealth. Once or twice men half rose from their places, 
as though to follow us. It was difficult to imagine that 
this was a street in a civilised city. 

44 One sees little of the law down here,” I remarked. 

Our guide shrugged his shoulders. 

44 The castaways of the world are to be found always 
in a great port,” he said. 44 We leave them alone when 
we can. This place is their safety valve. When we are 



THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


219 


forced to come, we come as we have to-night — in 
hundreds.” 

I realised what he meant when we descended, a few 
minutes later. At every corner of the little network 
of streets through which we pushed our way, some 
apparent lounger whispered a word in Santel’s ear. 
When, at last, we reached the end of a gloomy street, 
which terminated with the great iron gates of a ship¬ 
yard, our guide turned and spoke to us. 

44 Follow me,” he directed, 44 and be discreet. Re¬ 
member a blow of the fists will send a hundred of these 
rats to their holes — but always look behind. ” 

We descended some small stone steps, passed along 
a narrow passage, and entered a cafe, the most dilapi¬ 
dated and filthy which I have ever been in. There were 
a dozen men seated around, drinking, two or three 
asleep or drunk, one who covered up his face. A woman 
lolled across the counter and looked at us, a woman 
whose untidy clothing seemed to be falling away from 
her repulsive body. She had a heavy moustache upon 
her upper lip and narrow jet-black eyes. 

44 In the name of the police, Madame,” Santel whis¬ 
pered in her ear. 

44 At your service,” she replied. 

44 We want none of your usual jailbirds,” Santel con- 
tined. 44 Stand on one side, please.” 

The woman’s face was hideous but she shrugged her 
shoulders. 

44 There is nothing,” she muttered. 44 One has been 
here, perhaps, but he has gone.” 

We passed behind that counter, through a door, into 


220 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


a noisome house, wrapped in utter darkness. Four 
other men seemed to have crept up to us like shadows 
and we all had electric torches. Some of the rooms had 
been used for sleeping; some, apparently, for a filthy 
carouse. All were empty. At a certain point in the 
descent of some stone steps, we paused. Three of the 
men felt about for some time. Then an unsuspected 
door slowly swung open, a door which seemed to lead 
into a chasm, black and impenetrable. The man who 
had slipped past Santel and become our guide stretched 
up his hand and pulled down a long thin ladder. He 
let it down until it touched the ground. One by one we 
descended into what seemed to be a great cellar. At 
the farther end was a chink of light from the room 
beyond, and a sound which for the moment made a 
madman of me — the sound of a woman crying. I 
stumbled across the uneven floor but Santel caught hold 
of my arm. 

“ Be careful,” he muttered. “ If our man is there 
and sees you, he will shoot. Let the others surround 
him. We have a plan.” 

I scarcely heard him, but I held my breath and kept 
silence while some one attempted to find means of in¬ 
gress. We were there, seven of us, mad with the desire 
for this man’s capture, yet, for the first few moments 
the stone walls seemed to mock us. Lund was running 
his fingers round the chinks of what seemed to be the 
door, but could find no handle. Then, suddenly, I 
heard Michael’s voice. Cold and measured as ever, it 
seemed to me, though he must have known that he was 
in desperate straits. 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 221 

“For the last time, Janet, the truth? ” he said. 
“ What has become of the money which was handed 
over to you — the price of the jewels — and why have 
you followed me to Marseilles ? ” 

There was a moment’s silence. It was terrible to 
hear how weak Janet’s voice was. 

“No one has given me any money,” she replied. “ I 
have earned my own living since we parted. ” 

There was a peal of mocking laughter and I know 
that the other woman must have been standing over 
her. 

“ Liar! ” Louisa exclaimed. “ Tell us why you came 
to Marseilles, and why Rimmington, the English detec¬ 
tive, has followed. Tell us who called your new lover, 
Norman Greyes, from Monte Carlo? ” 

“ I know nothing of any of those things,” was the 
weak reply. “ My uncle left me two hundred and fifty 
pounds — Soale, the gardener, who once worked for 
you, Michael. I came to Marseilles for a rest and a 
holiday.” 

Again there was a peal of derisive laughter from 
Louisa Martin, followed by the soft ringing of an 
electric bell and a fierce oath from Michael. There was 
a moment’s silence, the scurrying of feet, the flinging 
back of what sounded like a door. Michael’s voice, 
when he spoke, had changed. Fear at last seemed to 
have entered into him. 

“ You have had your chance, Janet,” he said. “ I 
shall leave you to Louisa.” 

Janet’s pitiful voice was roused almost to a shriek. 


222 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

44 Don’t leave me alone with her, Michael ! 99 she im¬ 
plored. 44 She terrifies me ! 99 

A fortunate madness seized me. I flung my whole 
weight against the door and we fell into the place in a 
heap. The impression of those few moments will never 
fade from my memory. Janet, her feet and arms tied 
with cord, white and numb with fear, was lying on the 
ground; Louisa Martin, with the face of a Fury, and 
eyes filled with hate, was leaning over her. Michael, 
with unrecognizable face but unforgettable eyes, was 
already halfway through a trap-door. He raised his 
arm simultaneously with mine. Our pistols spoke to¬ 
gether and the sound of their report was followed 
almost immediately by the crashing of the trap-door. 
I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, and for a moment 
I think I went mad. I was cutting the cords which 
bound Janet’s hands and feet, talking to her foolishly, 
trying to keep back the faintness which threatened me. 
Then the mist came and the room rocked. The last 
thing I remembered was Louisa Martin’s laugh. 

My first visitor in the hospital, six weeks later, was 
Monsieur Demayel. He adopted a tone of apology. 

44 That man’s escape, Sir Norman,” he confessed, 
44 was a most deplorable incident.” 

44 How did he get away? ” I enquired. 

44 He descended through the trap-door from the room 
in which you found him,” Monsieur Demayel explained, 
44 by means of a rope ladder to a narrow inlet of the 
harbour, which at full tide is directly underneath. He 
secured the trap-door behind him by means of a bolt, 
got into a petrol launch and apparently made his way 


THE UNFAMILIAR TRIANGLE 


223 


across the bay. The launch was discovered next day 
upon the beach, and there is a theory that he was 
washed overboard by a heavy sea. At any rate, he has 
not been seen or heard of since.” 

44 Louisa Martin? ” I asked. 

44 Safe for seven years,” was the grim reply. 

44 And — the English woman ? ” 

Monsieur Demayel glanced suspiciously at the bowl 
of flowers by my bedside. 

44 She remained in Marseilles for some time. I do 
not know her present whereabouts.” 

As soon as my visitor had gone, I sent for the nurse. 

44 From whom did these flowers come? ” I enquired. 

She smiled as a Frenchwoman does who scents a 
romance. 

44 Until you were out of danger,” she told me, 44 a 
very beautiful English lady called every day. A week 
ago she returned to England, but she left with the 
Sister an order on a florist for roses every day for a 
fortnight.” 

“ She left no note or message? ” 

44 Nothing.” 

44 When can I leave for England? ” I demanded. 

The nurse looked at me reproachfully. 

“ In a fortnight, if you behave,” she answered. 
44 Perhaps never, if you work yourself into a fever.” 

44 Nurse,” I asked, 44 have you ever been in love? ” 

44 It is not a fit question from a patient to his nurse,” 
she replied, with a pleasant little gleam in her eyes and 
a quiver at the corners of her lips. 


224 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ I need sympathy ,” I explained, 44 but if you will 
not talk to me, I shall go to sleep.” 

44 The more you sleep,” she declared, 44 the sooner 
you will be able to go to England.” 

So I slept. 


CHAPTER IX 


Michael’s wedding gift 

MICHAEL 

For many months after my somewhat ingenious 
escape from the cafe of Madame Ponadour in the Mari¬ 
time Quartier of Marseilles, I lived the life of a dog in 
the Foret du Dom, on the far side of Hyeres. There 
were three of us woodmen in the hut — Pierre, Jacques 
and myself. My two unchosen companions, after 
twenty years of the same monotonous labour, had 
grown very much like the trees whose branches we 
lopped off and whose trunks we hauled down the road 
to the mountainous stack whence they were fetched by 
motor-lorry from Nice. These two men, so far as I 
was able to discover, possessed no virtues. They 
cheated at cards — we had one filthy pack which had 
lasted them for a year before I came — they drank to 
excess, when they could afford the wine or the fiery 
brandy of the country, and I am convinced that they 
would have murdered any one for a few francs, if they 
could have been sure of evading detection. Their com¬ 
plexions were, as mine soon became, almost black. They 
were clods of the earth, men ageless and passionless 
except when the wine was in their blood, from whom I 



226 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

hid at the same time and with equal discretion my 
thoughts and my purse. 

Solitude more complete than that which I shared with 
these two men I have never imagined. I grew to hate 
the very things which had, at first, appealed to me — 
the fresh, pungent smell of the newly hewn trees, the 
scent of the earth before and after vineyard time, the 
freshly turned red soil, cloven by the plough, the sun¬ 
baked furrows, scarred with fissures and cracks through 
which the odours of wine itself seemed to steal. Then 
there was the smell of the eucalyptus trees and the per¬ 
fume from the cherry orchards before their blossoms 
were dashed by the warm, June rain, the moaning of the 
wind through the pine tops overhead, the creaking of 
the branches, the night scent of the bursting sap. These 
things dwelt in my blood for a while as I sat sometimes 
at dawn and listened to the drowsy song of the birds 
at their first awakening, and watched the long shafts of 
green and amber light pierce the clouds eastward, as 
though to prepare the way for the coming sun. My 
joy of these things, however, was short-lived. Their 
appeal was for others, not for such as me. I grew to 
look upon my queer fancy for them as a phase of 
weakness, a sign of the marching of the years. For I 
was under no misapprehension concerning myself and 
my position in the world. Sometimes, whilst the others 
slept, I read the newspapers, which we obtained wdth 
difficulty from the neighbouring village; read of myself 
as the most notorious criminal at large; read of all the 
world-famed detectives of London, Paris and New 
York, who had sworn to effect my capture; read of my 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 227 

crimes, my daring, my cunning; read of all these things 
outside my shanty on the hillside — and smiled. Given 
a certain amount of resignation and patience, and I 
knew very well that I was safe as long as I chose. 
There, however, was the trouble. Corduroy trousers 
and a woodman’s smock were not to my fancy as arti¬ 
cles of dress. Nor did I care about dark bread and 
soup, apples and sour wine, as a means of keeping body 
and soul together. There was money for me in London, 
plenty of it. I knew that to reach that money I should, 
before long, come out into the open and challenge once 
more the world of my enemies. 

One day a chance incident set me thinking. We had 
paused for a second to fill our pipes with filthy tobacco, 
barely a dozen yards round one of the hairpin corners 
of the forest road, leaving our wagons, as usual, in the 
middle of the thoroughfare. Suddenly a car swung 
round the corner, travelling too fast for the driver to 
apply his brakes with safety. With great skill he 
passed us, grazing the long trunks of the lopped trees 
and escaping the precipice by a matter of inches. The 
chauffeur drove on, turning round for a moment, how¬ 
ever, to shake his fist and shout abuse at us. I waved 
my hand in friendly fashion, for the incident had given 
me an idea. That night I saw that Pierre and Jacques 
drank more than their usual share of the sour wine, 
and afterwards I propounded my scheme. 

“ Comrades,” I said, “ it is a dog’s life we lead.” 

They growled assent. They seldom spoke coherent 
words. 

“ To-day,” I continued, “ an idea came to me. If 


228 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


our wagons had been an inch or two nearer the outside 
corner of the road, or the man in the automobile a 
shade less skilful, he could not possibly have escaped. 
His automobile would have been smashed and he would 
have gone over the edge of the precipice.” 

They made strange noises in their throats and con¬ 
tinued to listen. 

“ It is a dog’s life, this,” I repeated. “ What we 
need, to make things endurable, is money — money, so 
that you two can go down to the cafe at the foot of 
the hill and drink brandy with the daughters of the 
village, they who leave you now so unkindly alone be¬ 
cause you have nothing to spend upon them.” 

Their pipes were out of their mouths now and they 
were listening intently. 

“ A man like that one to-day would have money — a 
pocketbook. Whilst he was unconscious, look you, we 
would take it. One of us would bring it up here, here 
where there are a hundred hiding places, in the ground, 
the trees, the cracks of the earth. A pocketbook which 
is lost, is lost. What do you say, comrades ? ” 

There was no doubt about how the scheme appealed 
to them. Jacques was showing all the fangs of his 
yellow teeth in one tremendous smile. Pierre’s round, 
black eyes were lit with a covetous gleam. 

“It would be an equal share between the three? ” 
he urged. 

“ Between the three,” I agreed. “ Leave the details 
to me.” 

We went to our work the next morning with a new 
zest. All the time that we were at work in the forest, 


MICHAEL'S WEDDING GIFT 


229 


lopping the branches from the fallen trees and piling 
them on to the wagons, we were thinking of what for¬ 
tune might have in store for us on our homeward crawl. 
When, at last, the time came to start, my two com¬ 
panions seemed more like human beings than at any 
time I had known them. They marched stolidly but 
hopefully on by the side of the horses. I, having the 
better eyesight, watched the winding road, down in the 
valleys below and up on the hillside. We crawled round 
each corner, loitering at the psychological spot always 
with the same evil hope in our hearts. The affair, how¬ 
ever, was not so easy. Sometimes we were seen from 
above or below; sometimes drivers were too careful. 
On the fourth day, however, success rewarded our 
perseverance. A small automobile which I had spotted 
from a distance came round the corner where we were, 
so to speak, anchored, driven with that full measure of 
recklessness which only a Frenchman, anxious to save 
his engine, can obtain. There was a wild cry from the 
driver, a crash into our wagon, and over went the auto¬ 
mobile and man down the side of the precipice. It was 
an agreeable sight. 

It was I who clambered down to where our victim 
was lying and drew a pleasing-looking black pocket- 
book from the inside of his coat. Afterwards I felt his 
heart and discovered that he was alive. I ordered 
Pierre to move the wagons over to our own side of the 
road and we secreted the pocketbook amongst the 
timber we were carrying. Then we waited for events 
and, although I really cared not in the least whether 
the man lived or died, I found myself, to my surprise, 


230 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

bathing his head and loosening his clothing. Presently, 
a public touring car from Cannes, on its way to Hyeres, 
arrived. The accident was explained, room was made 
for the injured man, and a liberal pourboire given us, 
collected amongst the passengers. Afterwards we made 
our way home and, later on, when we had lit our evening 
fire, we opened the pocketbook. There were nine hun¬ 
dred francs there, and I shall never forget the evil faces 
of my two companions, in the light of the dancing 
flames, as they leaned over and watched me count the 
notes. I divided the money into three portions but I 
spoke to them as a master. 

“ Listen, Jacques, and you, Pierre,” I said. “ I am 
a man of justice, but, although I am one of you, I have 
travelled beyond these forests and I know the world. 
If you take this money with you to the village to-night 
you will be drunk, the truth will be known and we shall 
all go to prison. I will swear to you the woodcutters’ 
oath, the oath across the flames, that your share shall 
be saved. But go to the village to-night with twenty 
francs each, the pourboire given us by the Englishmen, 
and let me keep the rest for you, or hide it for your¬ 
selves.” 

They had just sufficient wit to realise that I was 
their superior in intelligence and that my advice was 
good. So we growled an oath in the strange dialect of 
those parts and I gripped their gnarled and knotted 
hands, which reminded me always of the roots of the 
trees we felled. Afterwards, I went down to the village 
with them, had one drink for good fellowship’s sake, 
and returned to the shanty and solitude, with a bottle 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 


231 


of the best brandy and some tobacco. I drank mod¬ 
erately, as I have always done in life, but the brandy 
was good to my palate and the tobacco better. I lay 
at my ease on the outskirts of the clearing, with my 
back to a sweet-smelling pine tree and my face towards 
the valley, and I watched the shadows droop over the 
hills, their slopes become blurred and their summits like 
a fine-drawn line of ink against the violet background. 
Here and there a light sprang out from a lonely farm¬ 
house, later a yellow star gleamed over my head 
through the motionless branches of the trees and an 
owl fluttered up from the hollow with a mournful cry. 
I sipped my brandy and smoked and thought. Dimly 
though the beauty of my surroundings appealed to me, 
they filled me with only a negative joy. Still, life at the 
best could bring me nothing but a kind of passionless 
content. I thought of the great cities with their 
thronged thoroughfares, their mighty roar of turbulent 
life, the crowded parks, the theatres, the Opera, with 
its wonderful music which I had always loved, the 
voices and laughter and presence of beautiful women. 
I would win my way back to these yet. Beauty such 
as that by which I was surrounded on that still evening 
was the kind which reaches only through the soul, and 
its appeal to my aesthetic sense, although disturbing, 
was wholly unsatisfying. What I craved for was the 
joy of the cities, the throb of life around me, beauty 
and comfort from the material point of view, the 
proper clothes to wear, the proper food and wine to 
drink. 


232 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


Our next adventure, engineered in similar fashion to 
the last, brought us a matter of a couple of thousand 
francs. This time, however, there was trouble, for the 
driver’s neck was broken as he pitched head foremost 
from the seat of the car, and his wife, who was only 
slightly injured, gave vigorous evidence as to the posi¬ 
tion of our wagon and the disappearance of her hus¬ 
band’s pocketbook after we had dragged his body up 
from a ledge of the precipice. A gendarme from the 
neighbouring village visited us that same night and 
made a careful search through our belongings. There 
was nothing to be found, however, and by preserving a 
stolid silence and leaving all speech to me, my com¬ 
panions escaped suspicion just as I did. Afterwards, 
however, I spoke to them seriously. 

44 Comrades,” I pointed out, 44 this game is too good 
to last. For a time we must go warily. Afterwards 
w r e will seek one more adventure, which we must select 
with great care, for it w r ill be my last. If it is success¬ 
ful, I shall leave you. Afterwards, you two had better 
bury your savings in the ground and abandon the game, 
for it needs brains to be made successful, and you two 
have not the brains of a rabbit between you.” 

They knew that I was right and they held their peace. 
After that we let many cars go by. It was a month 
later, indeed, before we made our last coup, and it 
ended in very different fashion from what I had antici¬ 
pated. From my look-out place on a stretch of the 
road above the wagons, I saw a grey touring car, piled 
with luggage and golf clubs, approaching from the 
direction of Cannes. There was a girl in front, seated 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 233 

by the driver, and an elderly gentleman behind. I 
called down to the others. 

66 Comrades, this is our chance,” I announced. 
66 Move the wagons on around the corner and be pre¬ 
pared for what may happen.” 

What did happen was not in the least what I had 
expected. A certain phase of it remains entirely in¬ 
explicable to me, even to this day. From where I lay, 
crouching amongst the scrub, I could see that some¬ 
thing was wrong with the car, or with the manner in 
which it w r as being driven. The chauffeur was rocking 
in his seat and the car was sw’aying from side to side;- 
it seemed at one time, indeed, as though it would go 
over the precipice without any intervention on our part. 
But it was the girl’s face from w T hich I could not remove 
my eyes, the girl’s face which produced such an amaz¬ 
ing impression upon me. She must have fully realized 
the danger she was in, but she showed not the slightest 
signs of fear. I heard her speak to the chauffeur, try¬ 
ing to bring him to his senses, but it was obvious that 
he was either in a fit or had completely lost his nerve. 
Then she leaned over and tried to put on the foot 
brake, succeeding so far, in fact, as to momentarily 
check the progress of the car. The chauffeur, sud¬ 
denly seizing his opportunity, jumped from his seat and 
rolled over in the dust. The girl’s foot apparently 
slipped from the brake and the car once more gathered 
speed. She clutched at the wheel but it was obvious 
that she had never driven. Somehow or other she got 
round the corner but, at the next — the wagons! I 
saw her eyes, as the car came bumping down the hill, 


234 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


. heard the wild shouting and exclamations of the old 
gentleman behind, and there came to me one of those 
extraordinary moments, which I make no attempt to 
explain, moments when action is decided purely by 
impulse, and by an impulse irreducible to law. We 
had made the most careful plans to wreck this auto¬ 
mobile. I risked my life to save it. I half slid, half 
scrambled down the slope into the road, drew in my 
breath, poised myself for a great effort and, at the 
psychological moment, leaped for the front splash¬ 
board. More or less I succeeded. I found myself 
sprawling across the seat but my left hand was upon 
the wheel. The girl yielded it as though with instant 
understanding and slid away to make room for me. In 
a matter of seconds I had the wheel in both hands, half 
kneeling, half sitting. We were within two inches of 
the precipice after my jump and we just touched the 
farther side of the road with my grab at the wheel. 
After that it was easy. I righted the car without 
much difficulty, applied the brake, gently but with in¬ 
creasing force, took the corner with only a moderate 
skid and brought the car to a standstill within a few 
feet of the wagon. When the girl saw it, the first look 
of fear crept into her face. She looked at me with 
shining eyes. 

“ You were just in time,” she said. “ That was a 
wonderful jump.” 

“What was the matter with your chauffeur?” I 
asked. 

“ Our own chauffeur was taken ill and this was a 
boy we engaged in Cannes,” she answered. “ He was 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 235 

not equal to driving the car. He lost his nerve at the 
top of the hill.” 

The old gentleman was in the road by this time and 
gripping my hand. 

44 My good fellow,” he exclaimed, 44 you have done a 
great day’s work for yourself! For God’s sake say 
that you understand English.” 

44 I have hewn wood in Devonshire,” I told him. 44 I 
speak English or French, which you will. ” 

He was recovering himself now, and I could see that 
he was a very pompous person, the very prototype of 
the travelling Englishman of wealth, who believes in 
himself. 

44 My name,” he announced, 44 is Lord Kindersley. 
You will never regret this day’s work.” 

I made some attempt to descend but he held me in 
my place. 

44 You must drive us to the next town,” he insisted, 
44 to Hyeres or Toulon. I will reward you handsomely, 
but we cannot be left here, and I will not let that 
wretched youth touch the car again.” 

44 Where are you going to? ” I enquired. 

44 England,” the girl answered, 44 to Boulogne.” 

44 1 will drive you to Boulogne,” I said, 44 if you will 
give me that young man’s livery and papers, and 
recompense my comrades there for my absence. They 
will have to engage another woodman.” 

The elderly gentleman was spluttering out notes. 
It seemed as though he could not get rid of them fast 
enough. 


236 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ It is agreed,” he declared eagerly. “ We shall not 
quarrel about terms, I promise you!” 

A dusty figure came staggering down the hill, a 
youth sobered by fright but evidently recovering from 
a debauch. I wasted few words upon him, but I took 
him round the bend of the road, stripped him of his 
clothes and left him mine. Then I mounted the driving 
seat of the car and tested the gears. Pierre and 
Jacques were gazing with amazement at the little 
bundle of hundred-franc notes which the English milord 
had thrust into their hands. 

“ Farewell, comrades,” I said, waving my hand to 
them. “ Some day I may come back, but I think not. 
Good luck to you both! ” 

They returned my farewell in wooden fashion. I let 
in my clutch and glided down the hill. So we started 
on the way to Boulogne. 

During the whole of our four days’ journey, the 
girl, who sat by my side all the time, remained as 
though wrapped in her thoughts and spoke to me only 
after long intervals. All the time, though, I was 
conscious of her presence, and I think that she was 
conscious of mine. 

“ How is it that you, a woodman, can drive a motor 
car? ” was her first question. 

“ I have not always been a woodman,” I answered. 

“ Why did you want that boy’s papers ? ” she asked. 

“ Because I wished to reach England and I might 
find it difficult to get a passport of my own,” I ad¬ 
mitted. 

She abandoned the subject a little reluctantly. I 


237 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 

knew very well that she was longing to ask me further 
questions but I gave her no encouragement. On the 
following day, after a prolonged silence, she again 
adopted an interrogative tone. This time I found it 
less easy to answer her. 

“Why did you risk your life for us?” she asked, 
with curious abruptness, towards the close of a long 
day’s run. 

“ Because I admired the way you were facing what 
seemed to be certain death,” I told her. “ The worst 
of us are liable to an impulse like that.” 

“ Is it true,” she went on, “ that some of the wood¬ 
men of the Foret du Dom frequently rob travellers who 
have met with motor accidents ? ” 

“ Quite true,” I admitted. “ They have even been 
known to contribute to the accidents. I have done it 
myself.” 

She shivered. 

“ I wish you would not tell me those things,” she 
said reproachfully. 

“ It is the truth,” I assured her. “ We rather 
thought of wrecking your car, but I watched you com¬ 
ing down the hill and afterwards I only thought of 
saving you.” 

She laughed a little nervously, but, for the moment, 
she avoided meeting my eye. 

“You are a strange person,” she declared. “Why 
were you masquerading as a woodman? ” 

“ Because I have wrecked other things besides motor 
cars,” I answered. “ I w T as hiding from the police. 
This is a great opportunity for me to break away.” 


238 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


She sighed. 

44 I am sorry ,” she confessed. 44 All the same, I hope 
that you succeed.” 

After that she tried once or twice to get me to talk 
about myself. She even suggested possible excuses for 
my imaginary misdemeanours. About myself and my 
doings, however, I maintained a grim silence. In the 
end she ceased altogether from conversation. 

At Boulogne I was entrusted with the car, which I 
drove to London and delivered according to instruc¬ 
tions at the garage of the house in South Audley Street. 
There I received a message that the young lady, whom 
I had avoided seeing at Folkestone, wished to speak to 
me the moment I arrived. I was shown into a little 
sitting room in the great house and she came to me 
almost at once. The first glimpse I had of her, as she 
crossed the threshold, gave me almost a shock. This 
fashionably dressed young woman, notwithstanding her 
sweet, almost appealing smile, was a strangely different 
person from the girl with the wind-blown hair and 
scornful lips whom I had seen hastening on her way 
to death.. 

44 My uncle wished me to give you this,” she said, 

handing me an envelope, 44 and I wondered-” she 

raised her eyes to mine — 44 whether you would care to 
have a little memento of me P ” 

She gave me a picture of herself in a tortoise-shell 
frame, and I put it into my pocket with the envelope. 
She made room for me to sit by her side on the sofa, 
but I affected not to notice her gesture of invitation. 



MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 239 

I had suddenly become conscious of a most amazing and 
unexpected sensation. 

66 I shall never forget that evening,” she continued 
softly. 64 It was a wonderful jump, wasn’t it? 99 

I was the victim of new impulses, bewildering and 
incomprehensible. They led me in the strangest direc¬ 
tion. I wanted to explain to her exactly who I was, 
to make her realise that I was an outcast for all time. 
Yet, when I made my effort, I felt that my words were 
pitiably weak. 

44 I think, Miss Kindersley,” I said, 45 that you had 
better forget as much of the whole affair as you can. 
Remember that I deliberately planned to wreck your 
car as I had done others. It was only a fancy which 
made me change my mind. Believe me, I am not a 
creditable acquaintance.” 

44 But you might be,” she persisted. 44 Won’t you 
try? ” 

I shook my head. 

44 It is too late,” I told her. 44 1 am a hunted man 
to-day and shall be to the end. There is no country in 
the world where I could find safety or even rest for a 
little time. And what is coming to me I have earned.” 

In these chronicles of my life there is just one vice, 
the vice of cowardice, to which I have never had to 
plead guilty. Just at this juncture, however, the sight 
of her small white hand stealing out towards me, the 
little quiver of her proud lips, perhaps a faint waft of 
that perfume of which I had been dimly conscious on 
those four days when she had set by my side, some one 
of these things or all of them together gripped at my 


240 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

heart, filled me with a vague terror of myself, so that 
I did the only thing which seemed possible — I hurried 
out of the room and out of the house. 

Mr. Younghusband’s face was a picture when I 
visited him the next morning at his offices in Lincoln’s 
Inn. I was still in my chauffeur’s livery, which, with 
its peaked hat, afforded an excellent disguise, but he 
recognised my voice at once and he shook in his chair. 

“ Surely,” he faltered, “ this is most unwise? ” 

“ My friend,” I answered, seating myself at the other 
side of the table, 66 it may be unwise but it is necessary. 
I found a perfectly safe means of getting into England, 
and now that I am here I want money.” 

He drew his cheque book from the drawer but I 
brushed it on one side. 

“ I will have a thousand pounds in Bank of England 
notes,” I told him, “ and a draft on the Bank of Eng¬ 
land for the same amount. Send your clerk out for it, 
then we can talk.” 

He obeyed me, struggling hard to retain his com¬ 
posure. I watched him with a smile. 

“ They say that you are a brave man when I am 
away,” I remarked, “ that you never show the least 
sign of losing your nerve.” 

“ There is no one over here so rash as you,” the 
lawyer replied promptly. “ There is no one else who 
plays for such big stakes or runs such risks. The 
others I can deal with. They take my advice, they 
adopt caution as their motto. When you are in Lon¬ 
don, I never have a moment free from anxiety.” 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 


241 


I shrugged my shoulders. 

“ I shall not trouble you much longer,’* I promised. 
“ There is another matter to be cleared up, though. In 
Marseilles I was told that Janet Soale had drawn a 
large sum of money from you.” 

“ It is utterly false,” the lawyer replied. “ She has 
not even applied for a penny.” 

I knew the truth then, of course. Louisa was never 
one to brook a rival. I felt a momentary compunction 
when I thought of Janet’s terror in the cafe at Mar¬ 
seilles. After all, although we had ceased to care for 
one another, she had been faithful to me after her 
fashion. 

“ We heard that you were drowned at Marseilles,” 
my companion remarked. 

66 It was a narrow escape,” I admitted. “ Rimming- 
ton and Greyes were both over there, and they got on 
my track through Janet and Louisa. I had luck that 
night and I needed it.” 

Mr. Younghusband moved uneasily in his chair. 

“ You were mad to come to London, ” he declared. 

66 A species of desperation,” I answered calmly. “ If 
you had eaten nothing but black bread and soup and 
drunk nothing but sour wine for several months, you 
would be inclined to run a little risk yourself for the 
sake of a dinner at the Cafe Royal. ” 

44 Why don’t you retire?” the lawyer suggested, 
leaning across the table. “ You have sufficient money 
and you are fond of the country. Why not make full 
use of your wonderful genius for disguise, choose some 
quiet spot and run no more risks ? ” 


242 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

44 The matter is worth considering,” I admitted. 
44 There are a few little affairs to straighten out first, 
though.” 

Mr. Younghusband looked at me curiously, then he 
laid his forefinger upon the copy of the Times which he 
had been studying when I entered the office. 

44 You are interested in to-morrow’s event, I sup¬ 
pose? ” 

44 What event ? ” I enquired. 

The lawyer shrugged his shoulders. I could see quite 
well that he did not believe in my ignorance. 

44 The marriage of your old friend, Norman Greyes.” 

I stared across the table incredulously. 

44 1 have, indeed, been living out of the world,” I 
observed. 44 Whom is he marrying? ” 

Mr. Younghusband coughed. He was watching me 
closely and he was almost embarrassed. 

44 Do you mean to tell me that you do not know? ” 
he demanded. 

44 Of course I don’t,” I replied, a little irritably. 
44 You seem to forget where I have been for the last 
four months.” 

44 Norman Greyes is marrying the lady whom I have 
met as Mrs. Stanfield. She calls herself now Mrs. 
Janet Soale.” 

That was, undoubtedly, one of the shocks of my life. 
Janet and I were parted. I had deceived her as I had 
done many other women, and, in her day, she had 
served me well and faithfully. I had no ill-feeling 
against her, especially now that I realised she had left 
my money untouched. More than ever, however, I 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 


243 


meant to kill Norman Greyes. I held out my hand for 
the Times and read the little announcement. 

“ Good!” I said. 44 I shall attend the reception 
which I see is being given after the ceremony. It will 
be interesting to see Norman Greyes’s taste in pearls. 
I see that he is having his collection strung as a wed¬ 
ding present for his wife.” 

44 If you do, you’re a madman,” the lawyer declared 
angrily. 

44 Madmen for luck,” I replied. 

JANET 

It was exactly two months after I had left Mar¬ 
seilles when Norman Greyes walked into my little sitting 
room in Smith Street, Westminster, where I was busy 
typing a play for the Agency which occasionally sent 
me work. He was gaunt and thin, and it was obvious 
that he had not wholly recovered his strength, but he 
showed every sign of his old promptitude and decision 
of character. Before I had got over my surprise at his 
coming, I felt his arms around me and every atom of 
strength leaving my body. The most wonderful mo¬ 
ment of my life had arrived! 

44 When will you marry me, Janet ? ” he asked, a 
little later on, when he had set me back in my chair and 
seated himself by my side. 

44 Marry you?” I gasped. 44 How can you talk of 
such things ! 99 

44 Simply because they have to be talked about before 
they can be undertaken,” he replied. 44 1 look upon you 


244 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


as Michael’s widow, but you have never cared for him 
as you are going to care for me.” 

44 But you don’t even know if Michael is dead,” I 
protested, my heart beating fast, every fibre of my 
body quivering at the thoughts evoked by his words. 

Norman held my hand tightly. 

44 We are very sensible people, you and I,” he said, 
44 and we are going to look stark facts in the face. It 
doesn’t matter in the least legally whether Michael is 
dead or not. He had at least two other wives alive in 
America when he married you.” 

I leaned towards him. Somehow or other, what 
would have seemed in my saner moments a sheer im¬ 
possibility, seemed, at that moment, a perfectly natural 
and reasonable thing. Then, suddenly the old horror 
rose up in my mind. 

44 You forget,” I told him, 44 you forget that I 
too-” 

He placed his hand gently over my lips. 

44 Janet,” he interrupted, 44 nothing that either of 
us could do, no penance we could undertake, would 
bring Ladbrooke back to life. His widow has her pen¬ 
sion — I have seen to that. For the rest, you must 
forget as I have forgotten.” 

44 1 killed him, Norman,” I faltered. 

44 I have killed men myself in my day,” he replied, 
44 and I shall probably kill Michael, if he is still alive, 
before our accounts are finally settled. That affair 
does not concern us any longer. You acted on a 
momentary impulse. You were protecting the man 
whom you fancied, at that time, you cared for.” 



MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 245 

“ I was doing more than that,” I told him. “ I was 
avenging myself. I was a stupid girl in those days — 
but I had ideas. No man had ever kised me upon the 
lips. He took me unawares. If I had had the weapon 
in my hand then, I should have killed him without any 
other thought.” 

I saw a look almost of content in the face of the 
man I loved. 

“ I always guessed that there was something of the 
sort, ” he said. “ The immediate question is, when are 
you going to marry me? ” 

I suppose I was weak, but all women are weak when 
the man they care for pleads. I had been through 
years of misery, and the time came when I was simply 
incapable of any further resistance. I became entirely 
passive, I did exactly as I was told, and marvellously 
happy I was in doing it. Just as I was, in my shabby 
clothes, we went out to a restaurant in Soho and dined. 
It was a queer little place, overcrowded and not too well 
ventilated, but to me it was like a room in a palace. 
All the time we made plans, or rather he made plans 
and I listened. My long struggle was at an end. We 
were to be married almost at once, to travel for a time 
in Italy, Egypt — all the places I had longed to visit 
— and afterwards to settle down in the country and 
forget. It was not until after Norman had left me 
in my rooms, and the joy of the evening was merged 
into memories, that I felt that chill sense of apprehen¬ 
sion which I did not altogether lose until long after¬ 
wards. A sudden fear of Michael set me shivering. I 
could not believe that he was dead. I felt, somehow, 


246 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


that he would come back and stand between me and my 
new happiness. The fear became almost a paroxysm. 
I locked the door of my room and lay awake most of 
the night, terrified of the sound of a passing footstep, 
terrified when a taxicab stopped anywhere near, fearful 
even of the darkness of the room, out of the shadows of 
which I fancied that I could see Michael’s cold, ageless 
face, with his strange smile and grey-green eyes, behind 
which lurked that curious sense of power. The night 
passed, but even during those wonderful days that fol¬ 
lowed the fear remained. It came back even at the 
moment of my supreme happiness, some weeks later, 
when I passed down the aisle of the church with Nor¬ 
man — his wife! I suddenly felt convinced that 
Michael was in the church. It was a terrible moment, 
although a brief one. I faltered, and Norman looked 
down at me anxiously. Then I laughed and pretended 
to gather up my train. It was nothing, I told him — 
just a shiver. 

The rest, for some time, was just a dream. There 
were crowds of people at the house in Southwell Gar¬ 
dens where Norman’s sister was giving a reception for 
us. Everybody was wonderfully nice to me, and I made 
new friends at every moment. Just as I was warned 
that it was time for me to go and change into my 
travelling gown, an uncle of Norman’s, a Mr. Harold 
Greyes, asked me to show him the pearl necklace which 
had been Norman’s present to me. I took him at once 
into the little room where the wedding gifts were set 
out. There was a small gathering of guests there, 
nearly all of whom were known to me. At the far end 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 


247 


of the room, seated in a chair and apparently taking 
little interest in the proceedings, was the detective who 
had come from Scotland Yard to watch over the 
jewellery. 

“ I know that you have only a moment to spare,” 
Mr. Greyes said to me. “ I will just look at the pearls 
and be off. I am curious to see if Norman is really a 
judge.” 

I pointed to where the necklace was lying in its case. 
I myself was talking to one or two people who had 
finished their inspection. My companion glanced 
downwards, frowned, adjusted his eyeglass, dropped it 
and turned to me with a little smile. 

66 Quite a reasonable precaution, ” he observed, “ but 
was it necessary with a detective in the room? ” 

“ I don’t understand, ” I told him, a little bewildered. 

“ The substitution of the necklace, ” he explained. 
“ Of course, these are very fair imitations but I wanted 
to see the real thing. ” 

I leaned down and felt a sudden thrill of apprehen¬ 
sion. The necklace which was twined around its setting 
of ivory satin was one which I had never seen before. 
It was certainly not the one which I had taken in my 
fingers and showed to some friends of Norman’s, less 
than half an hour ago. 

I called to the detective. 

“ My pearl necklace has been taken within the last 
half an hour, ” I exclaimed. 46 This is an imitation 
one which has been substituted! ” 

The detective first closed the door and then came 
back into the room. We both of us looked around. 


248 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


Besides myself and my companion, Mr. Harold Greyes, 
there were present a very charming girl called Beatrice 
Kindersley, a great friend of Norman’s, an elderly 
lady, Mrs. Phillipson, and a slim, soldierly-looking 
man who was a complete stranger to me but who, on 
account of his sunburnt complexion, I put down as an 
Anglo-Indian. 

66 Dear me, ” the latter exclaimed, “ this is very dis¬ 
tressing ! A great many people have passed in and out 
during the last half-hour. ” 

“ It is only within the last three minutes, ” the 
detective said, “ that I have moved to the further end 
of the room. May I ask, Lady Greyes, if every one 
here is known to you ? ” 

“ Miss Kindersley, certainly, ” I replied, “ and Mrs. 
Phillipson. I don’t think I have met you, have I?” 
I added, turning to the man. 

He looked at me with a rather peculiar smile and I 
noticed for the first time that he was wearing rimless 
spectacles. He had a particularly high forehead and 
thick, grey-black hair brushed smoothly back. I can¬ 
not say that he actually reminded me of any one, yet 
something in his appearance filled me with a vague 
sense of uneasiness. 

“ I fear that I have not yet had that honour, Lady 
Greyes,” he acknowledged quietly. “Your husband, 
however, is an old friend. My name is Escombe, — 
Colonel James Escombe of the Indian Army. ” 

“ If you are unknown to Lady Greyes, I must ask 
you to remain until Sir Norman arrives, ” the detective 
said. 


MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 


249 


46 With the utmost pleasure, ” Colonel Escombe re¬ 
plied. 44 1 have already had the privilege of renewing 
my acquaintance with him . 99 

Beatrice Ivindersley, who had been standing looking 
on, suddenly began to laugh. Her eyes shone and her 
apparently genuine amusement, after the tenseness of 
the last few moments, was a very pleasant interlude. 

44 Poor Colonel Escombe ! 99 she exclaimed, passing 
her arm through his. 44 Why, he is one of Dad’s oldest 
friends. He hates weddings and functions of all sorts, 
but I persuaded him to come here with me because he 
had met Sir Norman in India once. Please, Lady 
Greyes, may I take him away? We promised to call 
for Dad at his Club, and we are half an hour late 
already. ” 

The detective was obviously disappointed. I mur¬ 
mured something conventional and shook hands with 
them both. 

44 1 may be permitted, although a comparative 
stranger , 99 Colonel Escombe said, as he bent over my 
fingers, 44 to wish you all the happiness which I am 
sure you deserve. ” 

They passed out, without any undue haste, laughing 
and talking to each other. The detective hurried away 
on the track of some fresh enquiry. I moved back, 
urged by some irresistible impulse, to the case where the 
imitation pearl necklace was lying. For the first time 
I noticed a little label attached to it. I turned it over 
and read two words, written in a familiar handwriting, 
— 44 Michael’s Gift. ” 

Suddenly Norman came hurrying in, already 


250 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


changed into a grey tweed travelling suit. He thrust 
his arm through mine and swung me towards the 

door. 

44 Janet dear, ” he said, 44 you have exactly a quarter 
of an hour, ” 

44 One question, please, ” I begged. 44 Did you ever 
know a Colonel Escombe in the Indian Army? ” 

44 Never in my life, ” he answered. 

I saw the detective hurrying towards us and I 
clutched Norman’s arm. I think that he must have 
guessed from my face that something had happened. 

44 Norman, ” I whispered, 44 supposing the neck¬ 
lace -” 

44 Well,,dear? 99 
44 Supposing it was stolen? ” 

His grasp on my arm tightened. 

44 I shouldn’t care a hang, sweetheart, ” he whispered, 
44 so long as we catch that train in half an hour and 
I have you all to myself for the rest of my life. ” 

MICHAEL 

The greatest genius in the world cannot foresee all 
contingencies. It has always been my practice to leave 
something to fate. How on earth I was going to get 
out of the house in Southwell Gardens, if the theft of 
the necklace were discovered before I could get away 
by natural means, I had been quite unable to make up 
my mind. Fate, however, decided it for me. I left with 
flying colours, rescued by the girl with the steadfast 



MICHAEL’S WEDDING GIFT 251 

eyes, whose lips had mocked at danger on the precipices 
of the Foret du Dom. 

“ Where to? ” she asked, as we took our places in 
her automobile. 

“To the British Museum Tube, if you can take me 
so far, ” I answered. 

She gave the order to the chauffeur through the 
speaking tube. 

Then she leaned back in her place. Her expression 
puzzled me. She was as pale as she had been on the 
day when she had faced death, but there was none of the 
exaltation in her face. 

“ You are disturbed? ” I ventured. 

“ I am unhappy, ” she answered. 

“You regret your intervention?” 

She shook her head. 

“ It is not that. You stole the pearls. ” 

“ Of course I did , 99 I admitted. 

“ You are a thief! ” 

“ I never pretended otherwise . 99 

Her eyes filled with tears. 

“ I will give you that credit,” she confessed bravely. 
“ Can I — would it be possible for me to buy the 
pearls from you?” 

“For what purpose?” I enquired. 

“ To return to Lady Greyes, of course. Don’t you 
see that I am partly responsible for their loss? ” 

“ My dear young lady, ” I said earnestly, “ the 
pearls are yours, with pleasure. I took them because 
the dramatic side of the theft appealed to me. Norman 
Greyes and I are old enemies. He has hunted me as 


252 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


only man can hunt man. His wife is an old acquaint¬ 
ance. It flattered my vanity to attend his reception 
unrecognised and to help myself to his wife’s pearls. 
Allow me. ” 

I took off my silk hat and laid it upon the opposite 
seat. Then I passed my hand slowly from my forehead 
back over my hair, pressed the top of my skull and 
handed her the necklace. She had been on the point of 
tears a moment before. She looked at me now, her 
eyes wide open with wonder. 

44 I appreciate your surprise, ” I told her. 44 As a 
matter of fact, this false top to my head is one of the 
most ingenious things my friends in Paris ever made for 
me. If Norman Greyes succeeds and I fail, you will 
probably see it one day in the Museum at Scotland 
Yard .” 

The car pulled up outside the Tube Station. The 
girl held out her hand. She looked at me, and some¬ 
thing of the feeling came into my heart which had 
driven me, a fugitive, from her house. 

44 I think that you are a very terrible but a very 
wonderful person, ” she said. 44 Anyhow, I like to 
think that I have paid a part of my debt. ” 

The madness had me in its grip. I lifted her fingers 
to my lips. I laughed in my soul because she made no 
effort to withdraw them. 

44 The whole of it is paid, ” I told her, as I turned 
away. 


CHAPTER X 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 

MICHAEL TELLS THE WHOLE STORY 

It has always been my custom, as a notorious and 
much-sought-after criminal, to give special care to the 
building up of a new identity. It is my success in the 
various impersonations I have attempted which has 
enabled me for many years to completely puzzle that 
highly astute body of men leagued together under the 
auspices of Scotland. 

After my brief but successful career as Colonel 
Escombe, of the Indian Army, I determined upon a 
complete change of characterisation and circumstances. 
I established myself in modest rooms at the back of 
Russell Square, took a small office at the top of a 
block of buildings in Holborn, had cards and stationery 
printed and a brass plate engraved, and made a fresh 
appearance in the Metropolis of my fancy as Mr. 
Sidney Buckross, jobbing stationer. I cannot say 
that my operations made very much impression upon 
the trade which I had adopted. I transferred a thou¬ 
sand pounds to my credit at a well-known London 
bank, wrote myself several letters a day, which I opened 
and replied to at my office, sallied out with a small 


254 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


black bag, soon after ten, and, with the exception of a 
leisurely hour for my midday meal, spent the rest of 
my time in the safe seclusion of the British Museum. 

I reestablished a new hobby. In the intervals of 
idleness which the spasmodic activities of my profession 
had entailed, I had always been fascinated by the sub¬ 
ject of ciphers. I knew perfectly well, for instance, 
that half the advertisements in the Personal Column 
of the Times , contained, to the person for whose eyes 
they were intended, a meaning utterly different from 
their obvious one. For example, one afternoon, after 
having wasted a score of sheets of paper and an im¬ 
mense amount of ingenuity, I was able at last to find 
the real message conveyed under this absurd medley 
of words: 

44 Charles. What you require may be found in 
1749. Laughing Eyes bids you have courage. 
Bring James. ” 

With only one word of the cipher at first clear to 
me, I looked upon it as something of a triumph when 
I was able to extract from this rubbish the following 
message: 

44 Lady in green, man dinner jacket and white 
tie. Frascati’s 8 o’clock Monday. Will bring 
documents. Have currency. ” 

The announcement interested me. If these docu¬ 
ments were worth money to the person to whom this 
invitation was addressed, they were probably worth 
money to me. I decided, without a moment’s hesitation, 
that I would meet the lady in green and the gentleman 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 255 

in a dinner coat and white tie on Monday at Frascati’s, 
notwithstanding the shock to my sartorial instincts 
which the costume of the latter was likely to inflict. My 
only trouble was not to clash with the person for whom 
the advertisement was really intended. At this I could 
only make an attempt. I inserted the following ad¬ 
vertisement in the Personal Column of the Times on 
the following morning: 

“ Frascati’s 7 not 8. ” 

The upshot I was compelled to leave to fate. 

At ten minutes to seven on Monday evening I ar¬ 
rived at the restaurant indicated. I ordered a table 
for three and the best dinner the place could offer. 
The moment I stepped back into the reception room I 
recognised, beyond a shadow of doubt, my prospective 
guests. The man was a powerful-looking fellow, with 
large, clumsy limbs, a mass of untidy hair, a bushy- 
brown moustache streaked with grey, a somewhat 
coarse complexion and bulbous eyes. He wore, grace¬ 
less^, the costume which the advertisement had in¬ 
dicated. The woman in green had somewhat overdone 
her colour scheme. There was a green plush band in 
her hair and she wore an evening gown of the same 
colour, cut very low and distinguished by a general air 
of tawdriness. She was, or rather had been, good- 
looking in a bold, flamboyant sort of way and she had 
still a profusion of yellow hair. They both stared at 
me when they saw me looking around and, with a little 
inward shiver, I took the plunge. I went boldly up to 
them and shook hands. 


256 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ I have ordered dinner, ” I announced. “ Will you 
let me show you the way ? ” 

They accepted the situation without demur, and 
viewed the gold-topped bottle in the ice pail and the 
other arrangements for their entertainment with con¬ 
siderable satisfaction. 

“ I must say you’re not quite the sort of chap we 
expected to find, is he, Lizzie? ” the man remarked, as 
he seated himself heavily and performed wonderful 
operations with his napkin. “ I thought all your lot 
were water drinkers. ” 

I smiled. 

“ We are often misunderstood , 99 I ventured. 

We settled down and took stock of one another. The 
woman looked approvingly at my black tie and pearl 
studs. I have made it a rule never to be without a 
supply of the right sort of clothes. 

“ I’m sure, if I may say so, it’s much more agree¬ 
able to do business with a gentleman, ” she remarked, 
with a sidelong glance at me. “ Makes one feel so 
much more at home. ” 

“Cocktails, too! ” her companion exclaimed cheer¬ 
fully, as the wine waiter approached with a silver 
tray. “ You’re doing us proud and no mistake. ” 

I bowed and drank their healths. A cordial but cryp¬ 
tic silence seemed to me to be my best role. I had al¬ 
ways the fear, however, of the other man arriving before 
the business part of our meeting had been broached. 
So as soon as the effects of the wine had begun to show 
themselves in some degree, I ordered another bottle and 
leaned confidentially forward. 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 257 

“You have brought the documents with you?” I 
asked. 

“ You don’t think we are out to make an April fool 
of a gentleman like you! ” the lady replied, with a lan¬ 
guishing glance. “ But I would like you to understand 
this, Mr. — Mr. — 99 
“ Martin, 99 I suggested. 

“ Mr. Martin, ” she went on — “I would never have 
rounded on Ted if he had kept straight. He and I 
didn’t get on, and that’s the long and short of it. He 
was all right so far as the drink was concerned, and 
I never see him look at another woman in his life. All 
the same, Mr. Martin, for a woman of my temperament 
he was no fitting sort of a husband. ” 

I felt a moment’s sympathy for Ted. The lady, 
however, had more to say. 

“ When first he started those proceedings for 
divorce , 99 she went on, dropping her voice a little and 
adopting a more intimate manner, “ I was knocked al¬ 
together silly like. You know that, Jim, wasn’t I? ” she 
added, appealing to her male companion. 

“ Same here, ” he growled. “ I’d have broken his 
blooming ’ead if I’d thought he was having us watched. ” 
“ And it’s a broken head he’ll get, the way he’s going 
on, if he’s not careful, ” the woman continued trucu¬ 
lently. “ Talk about making him a Cabinet Minister, 
indeed, and me left without a penny just because he 
got his divorce! I’ll show him ! ” 

“ To revert for a moment to the documents, ” I 
ventured. 


258 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

The lady touched a soiled, shabby hand bag, opened 
it and gazed inside for a moment. 

“ They’ re here, all right, ” she announced in a tone 
of satisfaction. “ Mixed up with my powder and 
rouge and what not. You shall have them presently, 
Mr. Martin. ” 

“ That is, if you are prepared to part, ” the man 
intervened. “ Cash down and no humbug about it. ” 
“Part? Of course he’s prepared to part!” the 
woman declared sharply. “ Wouldn’t be here if he 
weren’t. That’s right, isn’t it, Mr. Martin? ” 

“ Naturally, ” I agreed. “ I have brought a con¬ 
siderable amount of money with me, quite as much as 
I can afford to part with, and the only question left 
for me to decide is whether the documents are worth it. ” 
“ You talk as if you were doing this little job on 
your own, ” she remarked, looking at me curiously. 

“ I have to be as careful as though I were, ” I replied. 
“ I am sure you can understand that. ” 

Her escort laughed coarsely. 

“ I guess you’ll see there’s some pickings left for 
yourself, ” he observed. “ You know what I heard your 
boss say at Liverpool once. ” 

“ That will do, Jim, ” the woman interrupted im¬ 
patiently. “ Remember we are here for business. ” 

I returned to the subject of our meeting. 

“ I think, ” I suggested, “ the time has arrived when 
you might allow me to glance through those docu¬ 
ments. ” 

The woman looked across the table at her companion. 
He nodded assent. 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 259 

“No harm in that, so far as I can see,” he observed. 
“ There’s all in them as I promised, and a trifle more. 
Enough to cook Ted’s goose, and his swell friend’s. ” 

The woman opened her handbag and produced a 
dozen pages of type-written manuscript, soiled and a 
little tattered. 

“Just cast your eye over that first,” she invited. 
“ That’s an exact copy of the speech which Ted pre¬ 
pared for the mass meeting in Liverpool in March. ” 

“ In Liverpool, ” I repeated, hoping for some elu¬ 
cidation. 

“ The meeting that was called to decide upon the 
Shipping Strike, ” she explained, a little impatiently. 

I glanced through the type-written pages. They 
seemed to consist of a vehement appeal to the dockers, 
bonders and Union of Seamen to inaugurate on the 
following day the greatest strike in history, promising 
them the support of the miners and railwaymen, and 
predicting the complete defeat of the Government 
within six weeks. The speech concluded with a pero¬ 
ration, full of extreme revolutionary sentiments, and on 
a blank page at the end, under the heading of “ ap¬ 
proved of ”, were the signatures of a dozen of the best 
known men in the Labour world. 

“ This speech — ” I began tentatively, for the matter 
was not yet clear to me. 

“ Was never delivered, of course, ” the man inter¬ 
rupted. “ You know all about that. Ted went down 
to Liverpool as mild as a lamb. He stood up there on 
the platform and told them that the present moment 
was inopportune for a strike. Not only that, but the 


260 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


next day he bamboozled them into accepting the em¬ 
ployers’ terms. ” 

“ Satisfactory so far as it goes, ” I observed, didac¬ 
tically but with caution. “ And now- 99 

“ Here , 99 the woman interrupted triumphantly, “ is 
Lord Kindersley’s letter, delivered to Ted that after¬ 
noon in Liverpool. 99 

I read the letter, dated from South Audley Street, 
and its opening phrases were illuminative. I knew now 
that Ted was Mr. Edward Rendall, the present leader 
of the Labour Party in the House of Commons. 

My dear Mr. Rendall, it began, 

This letter, which I am despatching by aero¬ 
plane messenger, will reach you, I trust, before you 
address the Meeting this evening. The matter 
with which it is concerned cannot be dealt with 
by the Federation of Shipowners, but, confirming 
our recent conversations, Sir Philip Richardson 
and I are willing, between us, to advance to-morrow 
Bank notes to the value of fifty thousand pounds, 
to be paid to the funds of your cause or to be 
made use of in any way you think fit, provided the 
strike threatened for to-morrow does not take 
place. 

Faithfully yours, 

Geoffrey Kindersley. 

P.S.—In your own interests, as well as ours, I 
suggest that you immediately destroy this letter . 99 

Things were now becoming quite clear to me. I even 
began to wonder if I had brought enough money. 

“ As a matter of curiosity, ” I asked, “ why did your 



THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 261 


husband not take Lord Ivindersley’s advice and destroy 
this letter? ” 

The woman laughed unpleasantly. There was 
mingled cunning and self-satisfaction in her expression. 

44 He told me to, ” she replied. 44 As a matter of 
fact, he thought he saw me tear it up. It was just at 
the time that I was beginning to have my suspicions 
of Master Ted, so I tore up a circular instead and 
put this by for a bit. ” 

44 A pretty clever stroke of work, too, ” the man 
opposite murmured, with an approving grin. 44 You 
put a rod in pickle for Ted that day, Lizzie. ” 

44 And serve him right, too, ” the lady remarked, 
glancing in her mirror and making some trifling re¬ 
arrangement of her coiffure. 

There was a brief silence. The man drew his chair a 
little closer to the table and addressed me with a 
businesslike air. 

44 Now, Mr. Martin, or whatever your name is, let’s 
finish this job up, ” he proposed. 44 You’ve got a copy 
of the speech that Ted Rendall promised his pals to 
deliver at Liverpool, typed at Mrs. Simons’ office. 
Number 23, Dale Street. You’ve got the original 
letter from Lord Kindersley, proving up to the hilt 
why he didn’t deliver it, and, ” he went on, striking the 
table with his fist, 44 I am now going to tell you that 
that fifty thousand pounds was handed over to Ted at 
the National Liberal Club the following evening at six 
o’clock and was paid in by him, to his own credit, to 
five different banks on the following morning. The 


262 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

names of the banks are there, in pencil, on the back of 
Lord Kindersley’s letter. ” 

44 And when I asked him for a hundred a year to 
keep me respectable, ” the woman declared, with an 
angry colour rising to her cheeks, 44 he sent my letter 
back through his lawyers, without a word. ” 

I leaned back in my chair and felt my way a little 
further. 

44 If we make a deal and you part with these docu¬ 
ments to me, ” I said, 44 what use do you expect me to 
make of them? ” 

44 Any use you choose, so long as you pay enough,” 
the woman answered bluntly. 

44 We know pretty well whom you’re acting for, ” 
the man put in, with a knowing grin. 44 I guess it 
won’t be long before Charlie Payton handles these 
documents, if we come to terms. ” 

44 You have no conditions to make? ” I asked. 

44 None!” the woman snapped. 44 I’ve finished wfith 
Ted. He’s a cur. You can publish the whole lot in the 
Daily Mail , if you like, for all I care. ” 

44 Then there remains only the question of price, ” 
I concluded. 

The flush of wine and the momentary expansiveness 
of good feeding seemed to pass from the faces of my 
two guests. A natural and anxious cupidity took its 
place. They feared to ask too little, they were terri¬ 
fied lest they might scare me away by asking too much. 

44 They’d be worth a pretty penny to Ted, ” the 
woman muttered. 

44 You don’t want to sell them to him, ” I pointed out. 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 263 

<fi I don’t and that’s a fact, ” she admitted. “ Look 
here, Mr. Martin, they’re yours for a thousand 
pounds. ” 

A thousand pounds was precisely the sum I had 
brought with me. Without remark, I counted out the 
notes and pocketed the documents. The man and 
woman seemed very surprised at this uneventful finish 
to the proceedings. The latter tucked away the notes 
in her hand bag, whilst I paid the bill. When I rose to 
take leave of them, I could see, standing in the doorway 
and looking at us with a puzzled expression, a middle- 
aged man, whom I decided at once was the individual 
whom I had impersonated. 

66 The business is over, and, I trust, pleasantly, ” 
I said. “ Will you forgive me if I take my leave. There 
are others who are anxious to hear from me. ” 

The woman clutched her bag with her left hand and 
extended her right. 

66 Well, I’m sure you’ve been quite a gentleman, Mr. 
— Mr. — let me see, what was the name ? ” 

“ Well, it doesn’t matter, does it, ” I replied, “ es¬ 
pecially as it was only assumed for the evening? Good 
night and good luck to you both, ” I added, as I made 
my escape. 

There was a fine rain falling outside but I walked 
steadily on, obsessed with the sudden desire for fresh 
air. The atmosphere of the place I had left, the char¬ 
acter of my companions, the sordid ignominy of the 
transaction which I had just concluded had filled me 
with disgust. Then I began to laugh softly to myself. 
It was a queer anomaly, this, that I, the notorious 


264 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

criminal, for whom the police of the world were always 
searching, should feel distaste at so ordinary an ill- 
deed. I had robbed, and struck ruthlessly enough, in 
my time, at whomever might stand in my way, but, as a 
matter of fact, blackmailing was the one malpractice 
which had never happened to come my way. In any 
case, as I reminded myself, the ignominious part of the 
affair was over. Its continuation was likely to appeal 
more both to my sense of humour and my natural in¬ 
stinct for cruelty. Over a late whisky and soda that 
night in my room, I began to build my plans. It seemed 
to me that the career of Mr. Edward Rendall, M.P., 
and the reputation of Lord Kindersley were equally 
in my hands. It was surely not possible that the two 
combined would not produce a reasonable profit upon 
my outlay of a thousand pounds. As I sat and smoked, 
another idea occurred to me and, before I retired to 
rest, I wrote a long letter of instructions to Mr. Young- 
husband. 

I remained at my office in Holborn on the following 
morning until I heard from Mr. Younghusband upon 
the telephone. As usual he was most formal, address¬ 
ing me as though I were one of his ordinary and res¬ 
pected clients. It was obvious, however, that he was 
perturbed. 

44 1 have carried out your instructions to the letter, 
Mr. — er — Buckross, ” he announced, 44 but the mag¬ 
nitude of the operation which you have ventured upon 
has, I confess, rather staggered me. ” 

44 Let me know exactly what you have done, 99 I said. 

44 1 have sold , 99 he continued, 44 on your account, 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 265 


through various firms of stockbrokers, twenty-five thou¬ 
sand ordinary shares in the Kindersley Shipping Com¬ 
pany at six pounds each. Fortunately, there is no 
immediate prospect of a rise in shares of this descrip¬ 
tion and I was able to arrange to leave cover amounting 
to only ten shillings a share, namely, twelve thousand, 
five hundred pounds. ” 

44 Very good, ” I assented. 44 What is the price just 
now ? ” 

44 The shares have dropped a trifle, naturally,” the 
lawyer replied, 44 owing to your operations. The stock¬ 
broker, however, at whose office I now am, advises me to 
disregard that fact. He thinks that they will probably 
recover during the day. 99 

44 Just so! When is settlement day? ” 

44 On the fourth. Apropos of that, the various 
brokers with whom I have had dealings on your behalf 
desire to know whether you would wish to close your 
transactions or any portion of them during the next 
few days, if a profit of, say, a quarter a share is 
shown. ” 

44 Not on any account, ” I insisted. 44 The transac¬ 
tion must remain exactly as it is until I give the word. ” 
I rang off, filled my bag, as usual, with stationery 
samples and took the tube to Bond Street, where I 
walked to South Audley Street. Upon arrival at my 
destination, I was informed, by an imposing-looking 
butler that Lord Kindersley was at home but it was 
scarcely likely that he w r ould receive me unless I had 
an appointment. I risked the butler’s being human, 
and bought my way as far as the waiting room. Once 


266 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


arrived there, I managed to impress an untidy and 
bespectacled secretary with the idea that it might be 
worth Lord Kindersley’s while to spare me a few min¬ 
utes of his time. In the end, I was ushered into the 
great man’s sanctum. 

“What can I do for you — Mr. Buckross? ” he 
enquired, glancing at my card. 

I was anxious to test my new identity and I stood 
full in the light. It was obvious, however, that Lord 
Kindersley had not an idea that we had ever met before. 
He did not connect the slightly nervous business man 
who now addressed him with the woodman-chauffeur 
who had brought him safely from the Foret du Dom to 
England. 

“ I have come to see you on a very serious matter, 
Lord Kindersley, ” I said, “ and I am anxious that 
there should be no misunderstanding. I do not wish 
for a penny of your money. I am here, in fact, to save 
you from the loss of a great deal of it. My visit, never¬ 
theless, has a very serious side. ” 

He looked at me steadily from under his bushy eye¬ 
brows. 

“ Go on, ” he invited curtly. 

“ Last March, ” I continued, “ you averted the 
threatened shipping strike and saved yourself the loss 
of at least one of your millions by bribing a well-known 
Labour leader to declare for peace instead of war. 
You and one other great shipowner were alone con¬ 
cerned in this matter. That other man, I gather, is 
dead. ” 

Lord Kindersley was looking at me with a queer look 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 267 


in his eyes. I realised suddenly how heavily pouched 
they were underneath, how unwholesome the power of 
his face. His voice, when he answered me, was unsteady. 

44 What on earth are you talking about? ” 

I took the two documents from my pocket and moved 
a little nearer to him. 

44 Here, ” I said, 44 is Kendall’s proposed speech, 
counselling the strike and signed by the leaders of the 
various Unions. Here, also is your letter to Rendall, 
making him the offer of fifty thousand pounds to with¬ 
hold it, which sum was paid to him the next evening 
at the National Liberal Club. ” 

All the initial affability and condescension had gone 
from Lord Kindersley’s manner. He looked like a 
man on the verge of a collapse. 

44 My God! ” he muttered. 44 Rendall swore that he 
had destroyed my letter! ” 

44 He instructed his wife to do so. She retained it for 
her own purposes. A few months ago her husband 
divorced her. This is her revenge. She has sold the 
copy of the speech and the letter to me. I know, also, 
the other facts in connection with the case. ” 

Lord Kindersley took out his handkerchief and 
mopped his forehead. Already he began to see his way. 

44 I will buy those documents from you, ” he proposed. 

44 Your lordship, ” I replied, 44 1 am not a black¬ 
mailer. ” 

44 You shall receive the money quite safely, ” he went 
on eagerly. 44 I should not dream of communicating 
with the police. I shall look upon it as an equitable 


268 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


business transaction. Name your price. I am not a 
mean man. ” 

44 Neither, as I remarked before, am I a blackmailer , 99 
I persisted. 44 My use for these letters is predestined. 
They go to the Press. ” 

Lord Kindersley sprang to his feet. 

44 What good will that do you?” he demanded 
hoarsely. 

44 Not very much financially perhaps , 99 I acknowl¬ 
edged. 44 On the other hand, I know one newspaper, I 
think, which would pay me a large sum for them. 99 

He brushed the idea on one side. 

44 Listen, ” he said, impressively, 44 no newspaper 
would deal with you as liberally as I am prepared to. 
Those documents must not be published. If it were 
generally known that I had bribed Rendall to hold up 
that speech, the Unions would declare war against me 
to-morrow. Not a man would stay in my employ. 
Besides, it would bring discredit upon my Party. It 
would ruin me politically as well as actually. Come 
now, Mr. Buckross, you look like a business man. Let’s 
talk business. I’ll write you a cheque for ten thousand 
pounds this morning. ” 

44 Your lordship, ” I replied, 44 if I dealt with you in 
the way you suggest, it would amount to a criminal 
offence. Mv conscience forbids it. I can deal with the 
Press fairly and openly. Your political ruin I cannot 
help. Your financial ruin I may help you to modify. I 
offer you four days’ grace, during which time you had 
better get rid of as many of your shares in the Kinder¬ 
sley Shipping Company as you can. ” 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 269 

66 You promise to do nothing for four days? ” Lord 
Kindersley exclaimed eagerly. 

44 I promise.” 

He leaned back in his chair and mopped his forehead. 

“ Well, that’s a respite, at any rate, ” he said. 44 Now 
Mr. Buckross, you and I have got to understand one 
another on this deal. ” 

44 We shall never get any nearer understanding one 
another than we are at present, ” I assured him. 

“ Rubbish! ” he answered. 44 What I want you to 
do is to get that blackmailing idea out of your head. 
You have something to sell and I want to buy it. It’s 
a commercial transaction, pure and simple, and the end 
and aim of all commercial transactions is to obtain the 
best price possible for what you have to sell. I men¬ 
tioned ten thousand pounds. It seemed to me a com¬ 
fortable little sum but I can afford more, if necessary. 
Look here, stay and have lunch with me, and we’ll dis¬ 
cuss the matter over a cigar and a glass of wine. ” 

44 1 should be taking your lunch under false pre¬ 
tences, ” I replied, rising and buttoning my coat. 
44 You shall have the four days’ grace which I have 
promised. ” 

He followed me to the door, entreating me for my 
address. So convinced was he that I would change my 
mind that he sent his secretary out into the street after 
me. In the end I made my escape by promising to see 
him again on the evening of the third day. I made the 
promise in my one moment of weakness. It occurred 
to me that it would give me pleasure if, by any chance, 
I should see^ for a moment, the girl whose courage was 


270 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


of so fine a quality that she neither feared a hideous 
death on the verge of a precipice nor disgrace in a 
London drawing-room. 

I took my usual leisurely lunch and afterwards made 
my way to the uninspiring neighbourhood of Streatham. 
44 The Towers, ” which I had discovered from a book of 
reference to be Mr. Edward Rendall’s address, was a 
hopelessly vulgar edifice of grey stone, approached by 
what is generally described as a short carriage drive. 
An untidy-looking servant admitted me, after some 
delay, and escorted me across a linoleum-covered hall, 
odoriferous of a hot meal, to a small study at the back 
of the house, filled with shoddy furniture and hung 
with imitation prints. The popular M.P., as was his 
boast, was not in the least difficult of access. He came 
into the room within a few minutes, a pipe in his 
mouth, and giving evidence of all the easy good-nature 
which befitted his position. 

44 Don’t know who you are, Mr. Buckross, ” he said, 
noticing with some surprise that I had not availed my¬ 
self of the opportunity of shaking hands with him, 
44 but sit down, and welcome. What can I do for you? ” 

44 1 have brought you bad news, Mr. Rendall, ” I 
announced. 

44 The devil you have! ” he answered, removing his 
pipe from his teeth and staring at me. 44 Who are you, 
anyway? I don’t seem to recognise your name. ” 

44 That really doesn’t matter, ” I replied. 44 You can 
call me a journalist, if you like. It’s as near the truth 
as anything about myself that I’m likely to tell you. 
Something very disagreeable is going to happen to you 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 271 

on the fourth day from now, and, as I am partly res¬ 
ponsible for it, I have come out here to give you a word 
of warning. ” 

44 You’re getting at me, ” he protested uneasily. 

44 Not in the least, ” I assured him. 44 The facts to 
wdiich I allude are these. I have in my possession a 
copy of the speech which you ought to have made at 
Liverpool last March and didn’t, and also the original 
letter from Lord Kindersley, offering you fifty thousand 
pounds to hold it up. I also know that you received 
that money on the following evening at the National 
Liberal Club, and I know what banks you entrusted 
it to. ” 

Rendall was, I believe, at heart, just as much of a 
coward as Kindersley, but he. showed it in a different 
fashion. 

“You d — d, lying blackmailer!” he shouted. 
“How dare you come here with such a story! Get out 
of the house or I’ll throw you down the steps.” 

44 I have fulfilled my mission, ” I told him. 44 I shall 
be very glad indeed to go. ” 

44 Stop! ” he shouted, as I turned towards the door. 
“ How did you come by this cock-and-bull story? ” 

“ How should I have come by it at all unless it were 
the truth? ” I answered. “ The whole world will know 
the facts soon enough. I obtained the papers from 
your wife. ” 

44 That’s a lie, then, ” he declared truculently, 44 for 
I saw her destroy the letter.” 

I smiled. The man, after all, was poor sport. 

44 She deceived you, ” I replied. 44 You saw her de- 


272 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

stroy a circular. She kept the letter. Perhaps she had 
her reasons. I bought it from her and another man at 
Frascati’s restaurant last night. ” 

Conviction seized upon Mr. Edward Rendall and, 
with conviction, fear. 

“ Look here, ” he proposed, “ let’s sit down and talk 
this over. I’ll tell the girl to bring in cigars and a drop 
of whisky. ” 

“ I have not the least idea of accepting any hospi¬ 
tality from you, ” I assured him. “ The documents 
are going to the Press in four days’ time. I came here 
to give you that much notice. ” 

His eyes narrowed a little. 

“ How do I know that the whole thing isn’t a kid? ” 
he said suspiciously. “ Have you got them with you? ” 

66 1 have, ” I told him. 

He attempted nothing in the way of subtlety. He 
relied, I suppose, upon his six feet and his brawny 
shoulders. He came at me like a bull, head down and 
fists swinging. It was a very ridiculous encounter. 

Next morning there were sensational paragraphs in 
most of the financial papers. Shipping shares all re¬ 
acted slightly in sympathy, but the slump in Kinder- 
sley’s was a thing no one could account for. They had 
fallen from six to five within twenty-four hours, and 
as soon as I reached my offices in Holborn, I received 
frantic messages from Mr. Younghusband, imploring 
me to close with a profit of over twenty thousand 
pounds. There was nothing whatever wrong with the 
shares, he assured me, and they were bound to rally. 
I listened to all he had to say, gave him positive in- 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 273 


structions not to disturb my operations in any way and, 
disregarding his piteous protests, rang off and made 
my way to the great newspaper offices, where my bus¬ 
iness of the morning lay. 

It took me an hour to get as far as the assistant 
editor. He was a lean man, with horn rimmed spectacles 
and an inevitable sequence of cigarettes. He told me 
frankly that I had as much chance of seeing the editor 
as the Pope. So I told him my story and showed him 
the documents. He went out of the room for a mo¬ 
ment and returned with the editor. They both looked 
at me curiously. 

“ Who are you, Mr. Buckross? ” the editor asked. 

“ A speculator, ” I answered. “ I bought those pap¬ 
ers from RendalPs divorced wife. She has a spite 
against him. ” 

“ How can one be sure that they are genuine? 99 

“ Any one who studies them must know that they 
are, ” I replied. “ If you want confirmation, I told 
Lord Kindersley yesterday of their existence and forth¬ 
coming publication and advised him to sell as many of 
his shares as possible. Your financial column will tell 
you the rest of the story . 99 

The two men whispered together for some time. 
Then the editor, who was a grey-haired, clean-shaven 
man, with a mouth like a rat trap and a voice like a 
military martinet, drew up an easy chair and seated 
himself by my side. 

“ What do you want us to do with these docu¬ 
ments, Mr. Buckross?” he asked. 


274 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


“ I want you to give me a very large sum of money 
for them and then publish them, ” I replied. 

44 You know that there will be the devil of a row? 

“ That will be your lookout. Their genuineness will 
be your justification. 99 

The editor looked thoughtfully out of the window. 
His face was as hard as granite but he had very grey, 
human eyes. 

44 We should have no compunction about bringing 
the thunders down upon Rendall , 99 he said, 44 but with 
Lord Kindersley it is a little different. He is a con¬ 
siderable and reputable figure in Society. 99 

44 He might survive the disclosures , 99 I suggested. 
44 After all, there was a certain amount of justification 
for his conduct. He averted a national disaster, even 
if the means he used were immoral. 99 

44 A case can be built up for him, certainly, 99 the 
editor remarked musingly. 44 What is your price for 
these documents? ” 

44 Ten thousand pounds, and they must not be used 
before Thursday, ” I replied. 

44 Why not before Thursday? 99 

44 I have given Lord Kindersley so much grace . 99 

44 You will leave the documents in our hands? 99 the 
editor proposed. 

I considered the matter. I could think of nothing 
likely to alter my plans, but I was conscious of a cur¬ 
ious aversion to taking the irrevocable step. 

44 You shall have them, ” I agreed, 44 if you will give 
me a letter acknowledging that they are my property, 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 275 

and promising to return them to me without publica¬ 
tion, should I desire it, on Wednesday afternoon. ” 

“ What about the money? ” the editor asked. 44 Do 
you want anything on account? ” 

44 You are prepared to give me the ten thousand 
pounds ? ” 

He shrugged his shoulders. 

“ We never bargain, ” he said. 44 There is no stand¬ 
ard value for such goods as you offer. The question 
is whether you want anything in advance? ” 

44 No, thank you, ” I answered. 44 I’ll have the whole 
amount on Wednesday afternoon, or the documents 
back again. I think that it will be the money. ” 

44 1 trust so, ” my two editorial friends replied, in 
fervent unison. 

\ 

On Wednesday morning the Kindersley Shipping 
Company shares stood at three and three quarters, and 
a brief notice in the Times announced that his lordship 
was confined to his house in South Audley Street, suf¬ 
fering from a severe nervous breakdown. Some idiotic 
impulse prompted me, after I had paid my brief visit 
to my office, to take a stroll in that direction. A 
doctor’s carriage was waiting outside Kindersley House, 
and, as I passed on the other side of the way, the 
front door opened and the doctor himself stood on the 
threshold. The thought of Lord Kindersley’s suffer¬ 
ings had, up to the present, inspired in me no other feel¬ 
ing than one of mild amusement. By the side of the 
doctor, however, Beatrice Kindersley was standing. I 
knew then that the end of my career must be close at 


276 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

hand. I was weakening. My nerve had gone. The 
instincts of childhood were returning to me. The 
morbid curiosity which had brought me to the house 
had been gratified with a vengeance. I had received 
a psychological stroke. The girl’s drawn and tear- 
stained face had disturbed the callousness which I had 
deemed impregnable. A new scheme was forcing its 
way into my mind. There was only one redeeming 
point about it all — I walked for the next few hours 
in peril of my life. 

At half-past two that afternoon, Beatrice Kin- 
dersley hastened into the little morning room on the 
ground floor of Kindersley House to receive an un¬ 
expected visitor. Her lips parted in amazement 
when she saw who it was. I held up my finger. 

“ Colonel Escombe, ” I reminded her. 

“You!” she exclaimed. 

I knew that there was not a flaw in my make-up or 
deportment. I was the Colonel Escombe who had at¬ 
tended Norman Greyes’s wedding, and, in connection 
with whose presence there had been some slight ques¬ 
tion concerning a pearl necklace. 

“ What do you want? ” she asked breathlessly. 

“ To help you, ” I answered. “ I saw you this 
morning and you seemed in trouble. ” 

She smiled at me gratefully but a moment later her 
face was clouded with anxiety. 

“ It is dear of you, ” she said, “ but you must go 
away at once. You are running a terrible risk. Sir 
Norman Greyes is in the house. He is with my uncle 
now. ” 


THE MYSTERY ADVERTISEMENT 277 

44 What is he doing here? ” I demanded. 

44 My uncle sent for him to see if he could help. 
There is some serious trouble. I don’t know what 
it is but my uncle says that it means ruin.” 

At the thought of the near presence of my old 
enemy, my whole being seemed to stiffen. Yet, alas l 
the weakness remained. 

44 Listen, ” I said, 44 what does your distress mean? 
Has your uncle always been good to you? Is it for 
his sake that you are unhappy? 99 

44 Entirely , 99 she answered without hesitation. 44 1 
know that a great many people call him hard and 
unscrupulous. To me he has been the dearest person 
in the world. It makes my heart ache to see him 
suffer. ” 

I glanced at my watch. 

44 Listen , 99 I said, 44 give me five minutes to get clear 
away. When I am gone, give him this message. Tell 
him that Buckross has changed his mind and that he 
will hear from him before five o’clock. ” 

44 What have you to do with all this ? 99 she asked, 
wonderingly. 

44 Never mind, ” I answered. 44 Be sure to give me 
five minutes, and don’t deliver my message before Nor¬ 
man Greyes. ” 

She walked with me to the door, but when I would 
have opened it she checked me. Already her step was 
lighter. She took my hands in hers and I felt her soft 
breath upon my face. 

44 1 am going to thank you, ” she whispered. 

It was an absurd interlude. 


278 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


Both the editor and the assistant editor did every¬ 
thing, short of going down on their knees, to induce 
me to change my mind. They offered me practically 
a fortune. They hinted, even, that honours might be 
obtained for me. They tried to appeal to my pa¬ 
triotism, to every known quality, not one of which I 
possessed. In the end I obtained the documents, ad¬ 
dressed them to Miss Beatrice Kindersley, bought a 
great bunch of fragrant yellow roses, hired a messen¬ 
ger to go with me in the taxicab, and saw them 
delivered at Kindersley House. 

That night I spent in my room, taking stock of 
myself. On the credit side, my deal in Kindersley’s had 
brought me a profit of something like thirty thousand 
pounds, likely to be considerably added to as I had 
bought again at four. Further, I had abstained from 
becoming a blackmailer and I had knocked Mr. Ed¬ 
ward Rendall down. On the other hand, I might 
easily have made a hundred thousand pounds — and I 
had behaved like a fool. 

Perhaps the most disquieting feature of it all was 
that I was satisfied with the deal. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

NORMAN GREYES 

It was towards the close of a dinner party at Kin- 
dersley Court, in Devonshire, where Janet and I were 
spending a fortnight, that our host suddenly directed 
the conversation to me. 

44 One has heard a great deal of your successes, 
Greyes, especially during your last few years at 
Scotland Yard. What do you count your greatest 
failure? ” 

44 My inability to bring to justice the greatest 
criminal in Europe, ” I replied, after a moment’s hesi¬ 
tation. 44 1 had him on my book for three years, but 
when I retired, he was still very much at large. We 
have been up against one another continually. Some¬ 
times he has had the better of it, sometimes I. But 
the fact remains that, though there have been at 
least a dozen misdemeanours which might have been 
brought home to him, he has slipped out of our hands 
every time we have formulated even a nominal 
charge. ” 

44 Has he ever been in prison?” some one asked. 

44 Never, ” I replied. 44 Not only that, but he has 


280 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


never even been apprehended, never even brought be¬ 
fore a magistrate. ” 

“What is his name?” Lord Kindersley asked, with 
some interest. 

I smiled. 

“ A name with him, I suspect, is an affair of the mo¬ 
ment. I have known him under a dozen different pseu¬ 
donyms, but his real name is, I believe, Michael. He 
did me the honour to attend my wedding reception as 
Colonel Escombe. ” 

I happened to meet the glance of Beatrice Kinder¬ 
sley as I looked across the table. She drew herself up 
for a moment and I fancied that there was a steely 
glint in her very beautiful eyes. 

“ I met a Colonel Escombe there, whom I thought 
charming, ” she said coldly. 

“ It ^was probably our friend, ” I assured her. 
“ He is quite the most accomplished scoundrel in 
Europe. ” 

“ Sometimes, ” she remarked, “ I think it would be 
interesting to hear how the goats talk of the sheep. I 
expect they would be able to find faults in the lives of 
the most perfect of us law-abiders. ” 

“ But tell us more about this man Michael? ” Lord 
Kindersley intervened. “ I remember, seven or eight 
years ago, hearing something about the duel between 
you fellows at Scotland Yard and a wonderfully led 
criminal gang. Where is the fellow now ?” 

“ The answer to that question, ” I told him, 
“ would bring you in about five thousand pounds in 


281 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

rewards and possibly a bullet through your heart as 
an informer. ” 

“ You really couldn’t lay your hand upon him at 
the present moment if you wanted to?” 

I shook my head. 

66 1 shouldn’t have the faintest idea where to look 
for him. If he comes into the limelight again, my 
friend Rimmington at Scotland Yard will certainly 
send for me. ” 

“ And you w r ould join in the hunt?” our host per¬ 
sisted. 

“ I am not sure, ” I admitted. 

“You would do nothing of the sort,” Janet inter¬ 
vened, looking across at me. “ That is a promise. ” 

I smiled back at her reassuringly. Prosperity and 
peace of mind had agreed with Janet. The dignity of 
wifehood sat well upon her. Her complexion seemed to 
have grown more creamy, her beautiful eyes softer, her 
carriage, always graceful, more assured. There was 
no woman in the county more admired than she — cer¬ 
tainly no one less spoiled. She was absolutely and 
entirely contented with our simple country life. I 
sometimes think that, if she had had her way, she would 
never have wandered at all outside our little domain. 
More than once, when I had broached the subject, she 
had evaded the question of a visit to London or Paris, 
but, curiously enough, it was only at that moment 
that I realised the truth. She still feared Michael. 

“ There is just the one possibility, ” I remarked, 
“ that I might not be able to evade the challenge. If I 
do not go after Michael, he may come after me. ” 


282 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


It was precisely at this moment that the amazing 
event happened. We were a party of twelve at dinner, 
seated at a round table in the centre of the large ban- 
quetting hall of Kindersley Court. The room was 
rather dimly lit, except for the heavily shaded lamps 
upon the table and the shaded electric lights over some 
of the old Masters around the walls, lights which had 
been turned on during the meal at the request of one 
of the guests. The two footmen had left the room, 
presumably to fetch the coffee, and the butler standing 
behind Lord Kindersley’s chair was the only servant in 
attendance. Suddenly every light in the place went 
out and we were plunged into the most complete dark¬ 
ness. Conversation was broken off for a moment, then 
there was the usual little medley of confused excla¬ 
mations. 

“ Never knew such a thing happen before, ” our host 
declared, in an annoyed tone. “ Somebody must have 
been tinkering with the power house. Fetch some 
candles, Searle. ” 

The butler turned to grope his way towards the 
door but he was not allowed to reach it. A further 
sensation was in store for us. From various parts of 
the shadowy spaces on every side of us, little pin¬ 
points of fire blazed out and steadily approached, 
without sound. One of them came to a standstill im¬ 
mediately behind Lord Kindersley’s chair. Wielded 
by some unseen hand, the dazzling brilliancy of a 
high-powered electric torch was flashed round upon 
twelve amazed faces. Then a strange voice broke the 
spellbound silence, a voice still and cold and perfectly 


283 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

modulated. Every word seemed to have the crispness 
of a pistol shot. 

“ Ladies and gentlemen, ” the intruder said, 44 there 
is no need for any particular alarm. This is, to use 
a slang phrase, a 4 hold-up. 9 If you all sit still and 
keep still and obey orders, you will be moderately safe. 
If any one attempts to leave his chair or to strike a 
match I, or one other of my four friends, will shoot. 
We have automatic pistols, and I trust that you will 
realise the absurdity of resistance. 99 

44 God bless my soul! ” Lord Kindersley exclaimed. 
44 Where are all my servants ? How the devil did you 
get in? 99 

44 It is scarcely policy to let you into the secret of 
our methods , 99 the same cold voice continued, 44 but I 
have no objection to telling you that we came in 
through the front door, that your servants are locked 
up and guarded in the servants* hall, very much as 
you are, that your telephone wires are cut, your elec¬ 
tric-light supply is in our hands, and the lodge gates 
guarded. You ladies will kindly place all the jewellery 
you are wearing upon the table in front of you. There 
must be no delay, please, or any attempt at conceal¬ 
ment. Madame, 99 the voice continued, and there was 
something terrible in its menacing quality, the torch 
flashing at the same moment into the startled face of 
a woman on the opposite side of the table, 44 if you 
attempt to drop any of your jewellery upon the floor, 
or to conceal it in any way, you will force us to adopt 
measures which we should regret. ” 

44 What shall I do ? ” the woman next to me whis- 


284 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


pered hoarsely. “I am wearing my emeralds — Jack 
implored me not to — they are worth a hundred 
thousand pounds. ” 

44 You will have to do as the others are doing, ” I 
told her. 44 The first act of this little drama must be 
played out according to orders. ” 

She unclasped the necklace with trembling fingers, 
and the unseen figure behind Lord Kindersley’s chair 
spoke again. 

44 Will it be Sir Norman Greyes who struts across 
the stage in the second act? ” he asked mockingly. 

Then I knew who was there, and I remembered that 
Michael had sworn to take my life when and how the 
opportunity offered. I was an easy mark for him, sit¬ 
ting there, but somehow the idea of assassination never 
had any terrors for me. 

44 1 may occupy the stage for a little time, ” I an¬ 
swered, feeling for my wine through the darkness. 
44 But, after all, it will be the third act that counts. 
Which will you choose, I wonder, Michael — the gal¬ 
lows at Wandsworth Gaol or the electric chair at 
Sing Sing? ” 

This, of course, was sheer bravado, a touch of 
melodrama of which I repented as soon as I had in¬ 
dulged in it. I heard the click of a weapon, and in 
the steady glare of that small circle of light I saw 
the flash upon its barrel as it drew level with my head. 
There was a silence as poignant as it was hysterical, 
then a cry from Janet rang through the room. All 
this time the business of collecting the jewellery was 
proceeding without interruption. 


THE GREAT ELUSION 285 

“ A familiar voice, I fancy, ” Michael said coldly, as 
he lowered his weapon. “You do well to intervene, 
dear lady. Some day or other, I think that your hus¬ 
band will kill me or I him, but, unless he hunts me 
with a posse of policemen, it will be when we are both 
armed and the odds are even. ” 

There was a little sobbing sigh from somewhere in 
the background. Then the silence was broken again in 
less dramatic fashion. 

“ May I speak, please? ” Beatrice Kindersley asked. 

Instantly the light flashed upon her face. I was 
amazed at her composure. Her eyes were bright and 
sparkling and her cheeks full of colour. She had the 
air of being one of a vitally interested audience fol¬ 
lowing the mazes of some fascinating drama. I heard 
the voice from the darkness answer her. It was no 
longer the voice I recognised. 

“ Say what you have to say as quickly as possible, 
please. ” 

“ I have put my rings and bracelets upon the table. 
I am wearing around my neck a miniature set with 
brilliants. It is not really very valuable but it was 
left me by a relative. May I keep it? ” 

The light flashed for a moment upon the pendant 
which she seemed to be holding forward for examina¬ 
tion, flashed on the little heap of her jewellery upon the 
table. 

“ Pray keep your miniature, ” the voice conceded. 
“ Do me the further honour, if you will, of replacing 
your jewellery upon your fingers and your wrists. 
We are not here to rob children of their baubles. ” 


286 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

Beatrice’s laugh was a most amazing thing. It was 
perfectly natural and full of amused enjoyment. 

“ I don’t like the reflection upon my jewellery, ” she 
complained. 44 However, since you are so generous, I 
will accept your offer. ” 

44 Look here, ” Lord Kindersley exclaimed, finding 
a certain courage from his niece’s complete composure, 
44 is this a practical joke? Because, if so, it has gone 
d — d well far enough ! ” 

44 You will discover if it is a practical joke or not, 
if you attempt to leave your seat! ” was the instant 
reply. 

44 These fellows can’t think they’re going to get 
away with a thing like this, ” muttered Lord Harro- 
den, the Lord Lieutenant of the County, from the 
other end of the table. 

44 Your lordship is mistaken,” was the confident 
reply from the unseen figure who was directing the 
proceedings. 44 I will lay you five to one in hundreds 
that we do, payment to be made through the Personal 
Column of the Times in thirty days’ time. ” 

44 Gad, he’s a cool hand! ” chuckled Anstruther, 
the Master of Hounds, who was seated next but one 
to me, 44 I wish I could see his face for a moment. ” 

44 It would be your last on earth if you did, ” he 
was promptly told. 

44 What if I strike a match? ” a young man who 
was seated next to Beatrice Kindersley, enquired. 

44 1 should put it out with one bullet and you with 
the next, ” Michael assured him grimly. 44 Now, lad¬ 
ies and gentlemen, ” he went on, after a brief pause, 


THE GREAT ELUSION 287 

“ our business seems to be over. Any one who leaves 
his seat before we reach the door will be shot. As 
soon as we get there we shall lock you in, and then you 
can commence your part of the fun as soon as you like. 
If you care for suggestions, why not leave it to Mr. 
Anstruther to organise a midnight steeplechase, every 
one to choose his own mount, motor car, hunter or 
bicycle. We sha’n’t leave much of a trail, but for once 
in a while you’ll be worrying something to death that 
can spit death back. Why don’t you come and try? 
You’ll all be welcome. 99 

No one attempted a single word of reply. The lit¬ 
tle points of fire were kept turned upon us whilst our 
visitors slowly retreated. We heard the door un¬ 
locked, heard it slammed, heard it locked again — the 
signal for our emancipation. Very nearly simultane¬ 
ously, we all started to our feet. Two of the women 
were sobbing and shrieking. The woman whose emer¬ 
ald necklace had gone was the least discomposed of 
any. 

“ I wouldn’t have missed this show for the world , 99 
she declared. 

66 I’m all for the steeplechase, ” Anstruther pro¬ 
posed. “ Gad! that fellow would be worth hunting ! 99 

66 I’ll sack every servant in the house, ” Lord Kin- 
dersley growled. “ Curse them all, why doesn’t some 
one come! ” 

Every one was talking at once, without much result. 
We rang bells that made no sound and battered at the 
door, a somewhat futile proceeding, as it was several 
inches thick. Some one found a box of matches and, 


288 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


illuminated by the fitful flame, the faces of the little 
company were a Holbein-like study. With the help 
of some chairs, I mounted to the windows, but they 
were too narrow to allow the passage of even the slim¬ 
mest of us. Finally Lord Ivindersley groped his way 
back to the table from the sideboard with a fresh de¬ 
canter of port in his hand. 

44 Dash it all, ” he exclaimed, 44 let’s have another 
glass of wine! I don’t mind telling you that I’m 
shaking all over. It was like having the Lord High 
Executioner behind one’s chair. His pistol was real 
enough, too. I felt it once against my neck. Ugh! ” 

Anstruther asked me a question from somewhere in 
the shadows. 

44 Greyes, ” he said, 44 you were speaking of a fam¬ 
ous criminal, a man named Michael. You called that 
fellow-” 

44 That was the man, ” I told him. 

The drama of it all was curiously poignant. We 
sat around in the match-lit darkness, talking in dis¬ 
jointed fashion, waiting until such time as the ser¬ 
vants might find their way to our relief. 

44 Greyes seems to me to be the lucky man, ” Lord 
Harroden remarked. 44 He could have settled scores 
with you, all right — potted you like a sitting rabbit 
any moment he wanted to. ” 

44 Quite true, ” I admitted, 44 but; the one thing 
which has made the pursuit of Michael so fascinating 
is that he is the sort of man who would never shoot a 
sitting rabbit. He spoke the truth when he said that 
the end would come when one or the other of us was 



THE GREAT ELUSION 289 

driven into a corner and both were armed. So far as 
I am concerned, ” I added, glancing across at Janet, 
“ I am rather inclined to let it be a drawn battle. The 
hunting of men is a great sport but the zest for it 
passes with the years. ” 

Release came at last; another key to the apart¬ 
ment where we were imprisoned was found, the door 
was thrown open and a stream of servants with lamps 
and candles entered. A few minutes of incoherent ex¬ 
clamations followed. It seemed that the servants’ hall 
had been locked at both ends and guarded in the same 
way as the banqueting hall, the guests’ bedrooms had 
been systematically ransacked, and it became clear 
that the marauders must have numbered at least fifteen 
or twenty. The orders which Lord Kindersley roared 
out were almost pitifully ineffective. In due course 
we discovered that the telephone wires had indeed been 
cut, that every motor car in the garage had been ren¬ 
dered useless, the stables emptied and every horse 
driven out into the Park. We were seventeen miles 
from a market town and five miles from a village, and 
the moor which stretched from the park gates led 
across the loneliest part of England. The more we 
discussed it, the more we realised that it was, without 
a doubt, a most amazing coup. 

Naturally, the Press devoted a great deal of at¬ 
tention to a robbery of such sensational magnitude, 
and several journalists and photographers travelled 
down specially from London in search of material. 
The fact that I was one of the guests at Kindersley 


290 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


Court, and my wife amongst the victims of the robbery, 
gave a certain piquancy to the affair of which the 
facile pens of some of my literary acquaintances took 
full advantage. Rimmington himself came down from 
Scotland Yard with two of his shrewdest assistants, 
but, as he acknowledged to me upon the third night 
after their arrival, the whole affair had been carried 
out with such amazing foresight that it seemed im¬ 
possible to lay hold anywhere of a clue. A large re¬ 
ward was offered for the recovery of any portion of 
the jewels, the total value of which was estimated at 
something over two hundred thousand pounds, and 
every outlet from the country was carefully watched; 
but neither in Paris, London nor Amsterdam was 
there the slightest movement amongst the known deal¬ 
ers in stolen gems. The little company of robbers 
seemed, indeed, to have driven away in their cars, and, 
within a mile and a half of the front door of Kindersley 
Court, to have vanished from the face of the earth. 
No shepherd upon the moors had seen them pass, none 
of the inhabitants of the small hamlets around had 
been awakened from their slumbers by the rushing 
through the night of those mysterious automobiles. 
Even Rimmington, who had more optimism than any 
man of my acquaintance in the profession, returned 
to London a saddened and disappointed man. 

Janet and I stayed on at Kindersley Court for the 
last Meet of the Stag Hounds — a day which we are 
neither of us likely ever to forget. We motored over 
to Exford, where our host had sent all his available 
horses two days before. Janet, Beatrice Kindersley 


THE GREAT ELUSION 


291 


and I were amongst those of the house party who rode, 
Beatrice looking remarkably well on a fine, Dartmoor- 
bred chestnut, a present from her uncle within the 
last few days. We had one short hunt and a great 
deal of waiting about. Early in the afternoon we 
found ourselves on the fringe of the hunt, on the south¬ 
ern slope of Hawksley Down. Below us, at the bot¬ 
tom of the coombe, hounds were being put through a 
thick jungle of dwarf pines, through which, if a stag 
were found, he was almost certain to make for Doone- 
ley Barrow, on our right. Suddenly Beatrice, who 
had been looking over her shoulder, gave a little ex¬ 
clamation. A man, riding a dark bay horse, whom I 
had noticed once or twice always on the outskirts of 
the hunt, came round the side of a piled-up mass of 
stones and boulders and rode straight up to us. I 
must confess that at first the incident possessed no 
significance for me. In his well-cut and well-worn 
riding clothes, and possessing the assured seat of a 
practised rider, there was nothing to distinguish this 
man from half a dozen of Lord Kindersley’s neigh¬ 
bours with whom we had exchanged greetings during 
the day. It was not, in fact, until he suddenly wheeled 
his horse round to within a yard or two of us, and I 
saw something glitter in his right hand, that I realised 
who he was. 

“ Norman Greyes, ” he said, “ I call an armistice 
for five minutes. You will admit, ” he added, glancing 
downward at his right hand, (i that I am in a position 
to call the game. 99 


292 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

“ Let it be an armistice Michael,” I agreed. 
“ What do you want with me? ” 

“ With you, nothing, ” he answered. “ I came to 
speak to Miss Kindersley. ” 

He looked full at Beatrice as he spoke, and his voice 
seemed for the moment to have gained a strange new 
quality. 

“ I find that my confederate misunderstood me the 
other night, ” he continued, 66 and that after all he 
took your jewellery from the table. I have stayed in 
the neighbourhood to return it. 99 

He leaned over and placed a sealed box in Beatrice’s 
hand. I could have sworn that I saw her fingers clutch 
passionately at his as he drew away. 

“ I knew that it was a mistake, ” she said softly, look¬ 
ing across at him, as though striving to call him back to 
her side. He kept his face, however, turned steadily 
away. His expression had changed. The old mocking 
smile was back upon his lips. 

“ Upon reflection, Janet,” he continued, “ espe¬ 
cially when I considered the richness of our haul, I felt 
a certain impulse of distaste towards robbing you of 
your newly acquired splendours. Permit me. ” 

He handed her also a little packet. Then he backed 
his horse a few paces, but he still lingered, and I 
knew that he had something else to say. 

“ So our friend Rimmington has given up the chase 
and gone back to London, ” he observed. “ Give him 
a hint from me some day. Tell him not to take it for 
granted that the first impulse of the malefactor is to 
place as great a distance as possible between himself 


THE GREAT ELUSION 293 

and the scene of his misdemeanours. Sometimes the 
searching hand passes over what it seeks to grasp. ” 

“ I will remember your message, ” I promised. 
“ You realise, of course, that I shall report your being 
still in the neighbourhood? 99 

“ If you did not, 99 was the cool reply, “ the next 
few hours would be empty of interest to me. Even if 
you yourself take a hand in the game, Greyes, and I 
will do you the credit to admit that you are the 
cleverest of the lot, I promise you that I shall make 
my way to safety as easily as I shall canter across 
this moor. 99 

He leaned towards me. 

“ Send the women on for a moment , 99 he begged. 
“ I have a word for you alone. ” 

Janet turned her horse at once in obedience to my 
gesture. Beatrice, however, lingered. She was gazing 
across at my companion. I saw their eyes meet and 
it seemed to me a strange thing that such a look 
should pass between those two. Then I saw Michael 
shake his head. 

“ I must speak to Greyes alone, 99 he insisted. 
“ Every moment that I linger here makes my escape 
more difficult. 99 

She turned and rode slowly after Janet, but reined 
in her horse scarcely twenty paces away. Michael 
rode up to my side. He had dropped his weapon 
back into the loose pocket of his riding coat. He 
was at my mercy and he knew it. Yet, rightly enough, 
he had no fear. 

“ Norman Greyes , 99 he said, “ this is the end of our 


294 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

duel, for I have finished with life as you and I under¬ 
stand life. Fate has made us enemies. Fate might 
more than once have given either of us the other’s 
life. Those things are finished. ” 

44 You speak as though you were making a volun¬ 
tary retirement, — yet how can you hope to escape? ” 
I asked him. 44 There is a price upon your head 
wherever you turn. Even though my day has passed, 
there are others who will never rest until they have 
brought you to justice. ” 

44 I am not here to speak about myself, ” he answered 
indifferently. 44 I want a word with you about that 
girl. ” 

44 About Beatrice Kindersley ? 99 

44 Yes. ” 

44 What can you have to say about her, ” I de¬ 
manded, puzzled, although the memory of that look 
was still with me. 

44 Never mind — you know life, Greyes, although you 
walk on the wrong side of the fence. You know that 
the greatest of us are great because of our follies. 
That girl is the folly of my later life. There is a 
touch of romance in her, a sentiment — for God’s 
sake, Greyes, don’t sit and look at me like a graven 
image! Be a human being and say that you under¬ 
stand. ” 

I remembered that look and I nodded. 

44 1 understand, ” I said. 44 Go on. ” 

44 Tell her, then, for the love of heaven, who and 
what I am. Tell her that I have wives living, women 
whom I have deceived in every quarter of the globe. 


THE GREAT ELUSION 


295 


Tell her that a policeman’s hand upon my shoulder 
would mean the gallows in England or the electric 
chair in America. Tell her what manner of life I 
have lived. Strip off the coverings. Show her the 
raw truth. Tell her that I am a criminal at heart 
from the sheer love of crime. 99 

“ I will tell her what you say, ” I promised. 

“ Damn it, man! ” he answered passionately, as he 
turned his head to windward for a moment and swung 
round his horse. “ Tell her nothing from me, tell her 
from yourself. You know the truth, if any man does. 
Give her pain, if you must. Show her the ugly side. 
As man to man, Greyes, enemy to enemy, swear that 
you will do this. 99 

“ I swear , 99 I answered. 

He must have touched his horse with his whip, un¬ 
seen by me, for the words had scarcely left my lips 
before he was galloping away, making for the loneliest 
and bleakest part of the moor. I heard a stifled cry 
from Beatrice, a cry that was almost a sob. 

“ Why did you let him go, Norman? I wanted to 
say good-by!” 

“ He left some message for you, ” I answered, a 
little grimly. 


MICHAEL 

I lunched one Sunday morning at the Cafe de Paris, 
with my friend Gaston Lefevre, the well-known insur¬ 
ance agent of the Rue Scribe, — a luncheon specially 
planned to celebrate the winding-up of one of the 


296 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

greatest coups of our partnership. We had a table in 
the far corner of the restaurant, and we were able by 
reason of its isolation to speak of intimate things. 

44 You must now be a very wealthy man, my friend, ” 
Lefevre said to me, a trifle enviously, for all French¬ 
men worship money, 44 a very wealthy man indeed. ” 

44 I have enough, ” I answered. 44 As a matter of 
fact, that is one of the reasons why I have decided 
to levy no more contributions upon the fools of the 
world . 99 

44 You are not going to retire? 99 Lefevre cried, in a 
tone of alarm. 

44 Absolutely, ” I assured him. 44 I have burned all 
my boats in England, destroyed all ciphers, sealed up 
my secret places of refuge and said good-by to all my 
friends. I have said good-by even to Younghusband, 
the cleverest rascal who ever successfully carried out 
the bluff of being a respectable Lincoln’s Inn solicitor 
for over fifteen years. The rascal is actually getting 
new clients every week. Genuine clients, I mean. He 
is almost as wonderful as you. ” 

44 As for me, ” my companion confessed, sipping his 
wine, 44 my position has never been so difficult as yours. 
I have run no risks like you. I have never stolen a 
penny in my life, or raised my hand in anger or strife 
against any of my fellow creatures. 99 

I laughed softly. After all, the hypocrites of the 
world are amongst the essential things. 

44 You have made a million or so by those who 
have, ” I reminded him. 

44 Money which has been thoroughly well earned,” 


297 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

was the confident reply. 44 Under the shelter of my 
name and position, many things have been rendered 
possible which could not otherwise have been even at¬ 
tempted. Take this last business, for instance. Could 
you ever have smuggled a quarter of a million pounds’ 
worth of jewellery out of the country without my 
aid? ” 

44 It is agreed , 99 I assented. 44 In such matters you 
have genius. 99 

M. Lefevre waved his hand. 

44 It is a trifle, that,” he declared. 44 Let us speak 
of yourself, my friend. You are in the prime of life, 
excitement^ is as necessary to you as his sweetheart to 
a Frenchman or his golf to an Englishman. You have 
just brought off one of the finest coups which has ever 
been planned. A hundred and fifty thousand pounds 
to divide for the sale of these jewels, and not a single 
clue left behind. It w T as genius indeed. What is going 
to take the place of these things to you in life? 99 

I shrugged my shoulders, for indeed I had asked 
myself the same question. 

44 There is plenty of amusement to be found , 99 I 
answered. 

Monsieur Lefevre had his doubts. 

44 That is all very well, 99 he pointed out, 44 but if you 
destroy for yourself, as you say you have done, all 
the hundred and one means of escape which our in¬ 
genuity has evolved, you will have to step warily for 
the next few years. Neither London nor New York 
will forget you easily . 99 

44 My disappearance , 99 I replied, 44 will be your task. 


298 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

To-day we divided the last instalments of our recent 
profits, amounting, I think, to a little over two mil¬ 
lion francs. Half a million I have placed in this 
envelope. They will be yours in return for the ser¬ 
vice you are about to render me. 99 

My companion’s eyes glistened. 

“ It is a difficult matter, this, then, my friend? 99 he 
asked anxiously. 

44 On the contrary, it will give you very little 
trouble indeed, ” I assured him. 44 You have, I think, 
amongst your other very useful connections, a friendly 
one with a certain French hospital. I will mention no 
names. 99 

44 That is, in a measure, true , 99 Monsieur Lefevre 
assented cautiously. 

44 Your task, then, is simple , 99 I explained. 44 In the 
bag which I left at your office yesterday are clothes, 
jewellery, papers and other trifles of apparent in¬ 
significance. The next unknown man who dies in the 
hospital, of my height and build, will be wearing these 
clothes, and will have in his possession the other 
trifles I have spoken of, which have been all carefully 
chosen to establish my identity. The authorities will 
notify the French and New York police, Scotland 
Yard and the Press. You, also, will assist in making 
it publicly known that a well-known criminal has 
passed away. 99 

44 1 see no difficulty,” my companion admitted 
thoughtfully. 

44 There is no difficulty , 99 I assured him. 

44 And afterwards ? ” 


299 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

I shook my head. 

“ There is no person breathing, ” I told him, 44 to 
whom I shall confide my plan. I am in no hurry. I 
think you will agree that for a certain length of time, 
I could move about Paris without fear of being 
recognised. ” 

64 It is, without doubt, true, ” my companion as¬ 
sented, leaning back in his place and studying me 
thoughtfully. 46 1 passed you on the Boulevard and 
here, in the entrance, without a single impulse of rec¬ 
ognition. I did not know you even when you spoke 
to me. You look precisely what I took you to be, an 
elderly Frenchman of good birth, retired from some 
profession, rather an elegant, something of a boide- 
vardier , nothing whatever of an Englishman. I tell 
you, Michael, 99 my companion concluded, with some 
enthusiasm, 44 that no artist upon the stage or off 
it, in our day, is such a master of human disguise as 
you. 99 

44 I will not attempt to say that you flatter me, 
Lefevre , 99 I replied, 44 because, as a matter of fact, I 
believe that what you say is the truth. Very well, then, 
just as I am, I commence so much as may be left to me 
of the aftermath of life. Within a week I shall leave 
Paris. You may never see or hear of me again. On 
the other hand I may feel the call. I make no rash 
promises or statements. ” 

44 It would interest me strangely to be in the secret 
of your whereabouts, ” Lefevre persisted. 

I shook my head, as I called for the bill. 

44 I have a fancy , 99 I told him, 44 for stepping off 


300 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

the edge of the world. Let us take an automobile and 
watch the beautiful women at Auteuil. 99 

A fortnight later I read my obituary notice in a 
dozen papers. The New York Herald devoted a col¬ 
umn to me, and the Continental Daily Mail followed 
suit. The Times dismissed me with half a dozen lines 
of small print, which seemed unkind when one con¬ 
sidered the quantity of free sensational material 1 
had afforded them. The Daily Telegraph seemed to 
think that Scotland Yard was at fault in having al¬ 
lowed me to slip out of the world according to my own 
time and inclination. The Morning Post thought that 
Society at large must breathe a sigh of relief at the 
passing away of one of the world’s greatest criminals. 
Only one French paper reported a little incident 
which for a single moment brought the fires of mad¬ 
ness into my blood — madness and a weakness of 
which I shall not speak. Some one in England, a wo¬ 
man, had wired to a Paris florist and there were flow¬ 
ers sent to the hospital on the morning of the 
funeral, with no hypocritical message, just the 
name “ Beatrice ” on a card. Well, it was my choice. 

JANET 

It was chance which brought us to St. Jean de Luz, 
chance and Norman’s desire to escape from the pande¬ 
monium of an overcrowded golf course. We sat out 
on the verandah of the Golf Club on the late afternoon 
of our arrival, watching the pink and mauve outlines 


I 


301 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

of the lower hills and the sombre majesty of the snow¬ 
capped mountains beyond. There had been a wind 
earlier in the day, but the stillness here was almost 
incredible. The trees which crowned the summit of 
the grassy slopes were silent and motionless; the cyp¬ 
resses beyond, against the background of the pink- 
fronted farmhouses they sheltered, seemer darker than 
ever; the poplars leading to the villas on the south 
side of the valley stood like silent sentinels. I was 
conscious of a curious sense of tranquillity, inspired a 
little, no doubt, by my surroundings. Norman, after a 
few words of appreciation, looked longingly at his 
golf clubs and suggested a game to the secretary, who 
had come out to welcome us. 

6i Sorry, but I’ve had two rounds already, ” the lat¬ 
ter regretted. “ There’s a man named Benisande out 
there, practising. He’s a Frenchman, but a thunder¬ 
ing good player. Would you care about a round 
with him? ” 

“ I should like a round with any one, ” Norman de¬ 
clared enthusiastically. 

The secretary strolled across towards the man who 
was practising mashie shots on to the last green, a 
slim man with a slight but graceful stoop, silver-grey 
hair and clean-cut, weather-beaten features. He was 
dressed in tweed golf clothes of English fashion, and 
was attended by his own manservant, who was carrying 
his clubs. He apparently accepted the secretary’s 
suggestion with alacrity, and the two men came over 
to us at once. A few words of introduction were 
spoken and we all made our way to the first tee. The 


302 


MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 


Frenchman, discovering that Norman’s handicap was 
the same as his own, insisted upon the latter taking 
the honour. Norman drove an average ball straight 
down the course — and then came the great moment. 
Monsieur Benisande glanced curiously at us both, 
handed his cap to his servant, swung his club and 
addressed the ball. I gave a little cry. Norman stood 
as though he were turned to stone. In that moment 
we had both recognised him. Unmoved, Michael drove 
straight and far up the course and watched his ball 
for the length of its run. Afterwards, we three stood 
and looked at one another upon the tee. The secretary 
had disappeared in the clubhouse, the caddies had al¬ 
ready started after the balls; we were practically 
alone. 

44 This is an interesting coincidence, ” Michael re¬ 
marked, with a smile that seemed to have lost all its 
cynicism. 44 Our acquaintance, Sir Norman, if I re¬ 
member rightly, commenced with a game of golf at 
Woking. ” 

“ We thought that you were dead, ” I gasped. 

Michael sighed. 

44 1 took great pains to insure your thinking so,” 
he declared. 64 It is my misfortune to have run up 
against the two people who were bound to recognise 
me. Still, I have had a very pleasant four years. ” 

46 Is it so long?” I murmured, for Norman seemed 
still incapable of speech. 

44 Four years and a few months, ” Michael continued. 
44 It is a great deal to have snatched from a life which 
should have been ended. I have a charming little 


THE GREAT ELUSION 303 

villa, a converted farmhouse — you can see it through 
the trees there; a delightful garden — my violets and 
carnations are famous — and there are very few Eng¬ 
lish flowers which I have not managed to grow. I play 
a round of golf whenever I feel like it and when the 
wander hunger comes I vanish up there into the Pyre¬ 
nees. Antoine, my servant, is a Basque, and an ac¬ 
complished mountaineer. To-day I can follow him 
anywhere. 99 

“ What are we going to do about this?” Norman 
muttered. 

“ That remains with you, 99 Michael replied. 

We started to walk slowly towards where the two 
balls were lying almost side by side. I passed my 
arm through my husband’s and looked into his face. 
It was obvious that he perfectly well realised the crisis 
with which he had to deal. During the last four years, 
wonderful years they had been, we had spent scarcely 
more than a month or two in London. We had travelled 
in Italy and Egypt, wintered twice in the South of 
France and the remainder of the time had been devoted 
to Greyes Manor. I had my two babies to look after, 
and Norman his farms. The ties which had bound him 
to his old profession had naturally weakened, yet I 
knew now how his mind was working. Here, by his 
side, was a man whom he had sworn to bring to jus¬ 
tice, a notorious criminal, a man whom, by every code 
of ethics and citizenship, he ought promptly to de¬ 
nounce. And I knew that, for some reason, he hated 
the task almost as much as I hated it for him. They 
drew near to their balls and Norman came to a stand- 


304 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

still. He had arrived at his decision. I, at any rate, 
awaited it breathlessly. 

“ Michael, ” he said, “ you shall have your chance. 
You know my duty. You know that I am a man who 
generally tries to do it. Yet, to be candid with you, 
I have a conviction that your career as a criminal is 
over, and my personal inclination is to leave you 
alone. We will let Fate decide it. We are as nearly 
equal at this game as two men can be. Fate made 
you my partner this evening. I will play you this 
round for your liberty and my silence. ” 

I saw Michael’s eyes glitter and I knew that the 
idea appealed to him. He looked towards the green 
and swung his cleek lightly backwards and forwards. 

“ Let us understand one another, ” he insisted. “ If 
I win, I am free of you for the rest of my life. If I 
lose, I am to face the end. ” 

“ If you lose, ” Norman said, “ I shall send a tele¬ 
gram to Scotland Yard, and another to the Chief of 
the Police at Marseilles. ” 

“ The terms are agreed, ” Michael declared, taking 
up his stance. “ My life against your bruised con¬ 
science. ” 

So the match started. The first hole was halved in 
four, and from then onwards commenced a struggle 
which I can hardly think of, even now, without a 
shiver of excitement. Neither was ever more than two 
up but, towards the sixteenth hole, I began to realise 
that another factor besides skill was at work. Nor¬ 
man topped his second shot but jumped the bunker and 
lay upon the green. Michael carried the bunker with 


305 


THE GREAT ELUSION 

a perfectly played mashie shot, but pitched upon a 
mowing machine and came back to an almost unplay¬ 
able place in the long grass. He lost the hole. Nor¬ 
man, who was as nearly nervous as I have ever seen 
him, muttered something about bad luck, but his ad¬ 
versary only shrugged his shoulders. At the seven¬ 
teenth hole, Norman drove fairly well but was still 
sixty yards short of the green. It was the old Michael 
who took his stand afterwards on the tee, hard and 
dogged. I saw his teeth gleam for a moment, and the 
whitening of the flesh around his knuckles as he 
gripped his club fiercely. He hit the most wonderful 
drive I have ever seen, long and low and straight. It 
carried on and on whilst we watched it breathlessly. 
Finally it ran on to the green and ended within a 
couple of clubs’ lengths of the hole. I gave a little 
gasp of relief, for, from the first, I had prayed that 
my husband might lose. But I had reckoned without 
that unseen force. Norman topped his mashie shot, 
which bumped along the ground on to the green, passed 
Michael’s ball and, to my horror, dropped in the hole. 
Even Norman himself seemed to have no words. He 
stood looking at the spot where his ball had dis¬ 
appeared, his face averted from his opponent. 

“ Sorry, ” he said gruffly. “ My second fluke in 
two holes, I’m afraid. ” 

Michael made no remark. He studied his putt long 
and carefully, hit it with a musical little click and we 
all watched it run straight for the hole. At the last 
moment some trifling irregularity of surface seemed 
to deflect it, it caught the corner of the hole, swung 


306 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

round inside and came out again. It rested on the 
very edge and we stood there waiting. Nothing, 
however, happened. Michael turned away and I 
fancied that I saw a little quiver upon his lips. 

44 We are now all square, ” he said. 44 I scarcely 
expected to lose the last two holes. ” 

44 I have been lucky, ” Norman admitted, a little 
brusquely, 44 but I can’t help it. It might have been 
the other way. ” 

At the eighteenth, a strong wind was against them. 
Norman, pulling a little, escaped the bunkers, but 
Michael, hitting a far better ball, carried them with 
a few yards to spare. Norman played a fine second 
and reached the green, four or five yards from the 
hole. When Michael reached his ball, I saw him stop 
and look at it. His servant gave an exclamation. It 
was lying where a huge clod of earth had been knocked 
away by some beginner and never replaced, without a 
blade of grass around it and on a downward slope. I 
looked across towards my husband. 

44 It isn’t fair, ” I whispered hoarsely. 44 Move it 
with your foot. Norman can’t see. Besides, I’m in 
the way. ” 

Michael, who was choosing a club, just glanced up 
at me for a moment, and I felt as though I had said 
something sacrilegious. 

44 We don’t play games that way, ” he rejoined 
quietly. 44 I am afraid this is going to be rather a 
forlorn hope, though. ” 

He took a niblick, and against the wind he was only 


THE GREAT ELUSION 307 

able to get about halfway to the green. This time, 
however, his ball was lying well. 

44 1 play the odd, ” he murmured, as he selected a 
running-up cleek. We waited breathlessly for the 
shot. Norman’s caddy and Michael’s servant, although 
they had no idea, of course, of the significance of the 
match, had gathered from our tense air that it was of 
no ordinary interest. We all watched Michael’s ball, 
when at last he played it, spellbound. It was a low 
shot, beautifully straight for the flag, and I could 
scarcely keep back a little cry of joy when I saw it 
land on the green and run slowly two or three yards 
past the hole. 

“ A fine recovery,” Norman said thickly. “ My 
turn now to play the like. ” 

He took his putter and my heart sank as I saw him 
strike the ball well and firmly. For a moment it 
seemed as though he had holed it and the match was 
over. It came to a standstill about eighteen inches 
short. 

“ This for a half, ” Michael remarked, as he went 
towards his ball. 

I saw him half close his eyes as he took up his 
stance, and I wondered for a moment what he was 
thinking of. He took the line carefully and struck 
the ball straight for the back of the hole. I gave a 
little gasp. It seemed as though the half were as¬ 
sured. Then a cry of dismay from Michael’s caddy 
startled me. The ball, although it had seemed to hit 
the back of the hole, spun round and came out again. 
Again it lay within a foot or so of the hole. Michael 


308 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

stood quite still looking at it. He glanced up and our 
eyes met. 

“ The fates, ” he said quietly, “ are against me. ” 

Norman took out his putter and I scarcely dared to 
watch. He was only a few inches from the hole. The 
result seemed certain. Then as I forced myself to 
watch him, a strange thought came to me. He seemed 
to be taking unusual care, but he was holding his 
putter differently and he seemed to have lost his confi¬ 
dence. 

“ This for the match, 99 he said, looking across at 
his opponent. 

“ For the match, ” Michael repeated hopelessly. 

Norman struck the ball with a little stab and I 
could scarcely believe my eyes. It missed the hole, 
passing it on the left-hand side and coming to a stand¬ 
still at least two feet away. Norman looked down at 
the ground in a puzzled manner. 

“ This is the rottenest green on the course, ” he 
muttered. “Whose play, caddy ? 99 

The caddy considered the matter for a moment and 
pointed to Michael. This time there was no mistake. 
The ball went well and truly to the bottom of the hole. 
Norman again surprised me. He studied his ridiculous 
little putt with exaggerated care, brushed away some 
fancied impediment and reproved his caddy sharply 
for talking. When he hit the ball, he hit it crisply 
enough but again with that little stab which drew it 
once more to the wrong side of the hole. There was a 
little murmur. 

“ I never saw such filthy putting in my life! 99 Nor- 


THE GREAT ELUSION 


309 


man exclaimed, looking exactly like a normal man 
who has lost an important match by a moment’s care¬ 
lessness. “ Your match, Monsieur Benisande. I think 
perhaps you deserved it. You had all the worst of the 
luck until my putting paralysis set in. ” 

Michael took off his hat and I saw great beads of 
perspiration upon his forehead. 

“ I am thankful for my win, ” he said quietly, “ but 
I scarcely expected it. ” 

We all walked back to the clubhouse together. 

“ Janet and I will leave St. Jean de Luz at once, ” 
Norman announced. 

“ It will not be necessary, ” Michael rejoined 
quickly. 66 To-morrow I start for the mountains. I 
shall be gone for a week or more. I beg that you will 
not hurry your departure. May I speak to you for 
a moment, Janet?” 

Norman made his way, without remark, to the club¬ 
house. He neither spoke to nor looked towards 
Michael again. Men are strange beings. This was the 
passing of the feud which left them both foresworn. 

I spared Michael the question which I knew was 
upon his lips. 

“ Beatrice is well, ” I told him. “ She is still un¬ 
married. ” 

There was a light in Michael’s face which I pre¬ 
tended not to see. It was gone in a moment, and when 
he spoke his voice was quite steady. 

“ I am sorry to hear that she is unmarried, ” he said, 
“ although no man in the world could be worthy of 
her. I am going to entrust you with a mission. If 


310 MICHAEL’S EVIL DEEDS 

ever the truth concerning me should come to light, I 
want her to know this. ” 

He drew from his pocket a letter case of black silk 
with platinum clasps, a simple but very elegant trifle 
for a man. Out of it he drew what appeared to be 
its sole contents, a crumpled card, upon which was 
written, in Beatrice’s handwriting, her own name. The 
card was smeared as though with the stain of crushed 
flowers. 

“ I planned my death, ” he continued, with a faint 
return to his old cynical smile, 44 very much as I have 
lived my life — with my tongue in my cheek. Then I 
read in some French paper that Beatrice had sent 
flowers to the hospital for my funeral and I felt all 
the bitter shame of a man who has done an ugly thing. 
I made what atonement I could. After having reached 
absolute safety, I risked my life in almost foolhardy 
fashion. I attended my own funeral. I stole that 
card and one of the flowers from the grave. If ever 
she should learn the truth, ” he added, his face turned 
away towards the mountains, 44 1 should like her to 
know that. She may reckon it as atonement. ” 

I laid my hand upon his arm. Speech of any sort 
seemed to have become extraordinarily difficult. When 
I had found the words I wanted, Michael had gone. 

The last we saw of Michael was, in its way, 
allegorical. As we climbed one of the grassy slopes 
of the Golf Club on the following morning, we saw two 
men on the other side of the river, walking steadily 
away from us along the path which led across the 


THE GREAT ELUSION 


311 


lower chain of hills towards the mountains. They car¬ 
ried knapsacks on their backs and long staves in 
their hands. They had, somehow, at that distance 
the air of pilgrims. 

“ There goes Benisande, off on one of his mountain 
expeditions, 99 the secretary, who was playing with 
Norman, remarked, pointing them out. 66 They say 
that he has made up his mind to climb that further 
peak beyond the Pass. Even the Basque guides call 
him foolhardy.” 

I watched the two figures. I waved my hand in 
futile farewell. But Michael never once turned back. 









NOVELS by E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM 


“He is past master of the art of telling a story. 
He has humor, a keen sense of the dramatic, and a 
knack of turning out a happy ending just when the 
complications of the plot threaten worse disasters.” 
—The New York Times . 

“Mr. Oppenheim has few equals among modern 
novelists. He is prolific, he is untiring in the inven¬ 
tion of mysterious plots, he is a clever weaver of the 
plausible with the sensational, and he has the neces¬ 
sary gift of facile narrative .”—The Boston Transcript . 


A Prince of Sinners 
A Maker of History 
The Man and His Kingdom 
The Yellow Crayon 
A Sleeping Memory 
The Great Secret 
Jeanne of the Marshes 
The Lost Ambassador 
A Daughter of the Marionis 
Havoc 

The Lighted Way 
The Survivor 
A People’s Man 
The Vanished Messenger 
The Seven Conundrums 


The Way of These Women 
The Kingdom of the Blind 
The Pawns Count 
The Zeppelin’s Passenger 
The Curious Quest 
The Wicked Marquis 
The Box with Broken Seals 
The Great Impersonation 
The Devil’s Paw 
Jacob’s Ladder 
The Profiteers 
Nobody’s Man 
The Great Prince Shan 
The Evil Shepherd 
The Mystery Road 


Boston LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY Publisher. 












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